


Flames: Bonus Scenes

by combatfaerie



Series: Flames [2]
Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Brollins, Deleted Scenes, Don't copy to another site, F/M, rollynch
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-05
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:21:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 37,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21679687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/combatfaerie/pseuds/combatfaerie
Summary: These are bonus scenes for FLAMES: 'deleted scenes', what-ifs, scenes that won't fit in the chronology any longer, etc. You don't need to read these to follow along with FLAMES, and they won't be posted here in any sort of order. Updates will be erratic.
Relationships: Becky Lynch | Rebecca Knox/Seth Rollins | Tyler Black
Series: Flames [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1562851
Comments: 20
Kudos: 51





	1. Seth talks to Becky's parents

Seth had met the parents of previous girlfriends before, but it felt doubly daunting this time. Now he was in another country—hell, on another continent—so he was already out of his element. Plus these were _Becky's_ parents, and any two humans who could combine to make her had to be formidable in their own right. He was sure he had met them in passing before, probably at some UK event, but this was different. He wasn't just a co-worker or friend now; he was a boyfriend—and, if things went well, hopefully more.

He wasn’t sure who to talk to first, Annette or Ken. Tradition would probably dictate talking to her father first, but he knew better than assume that kind of thing where Becky was concerned. Was religion going to be a factor? He wasn't sure. From talking to both Sheamus and Finn, he knew religion was deeply entrenched in Ireland, even amongst those who considered themselves non-believers, and it wasn't something Becky talked about a lot. Between the culture shock and trying to navigate so many nuances, Seth was surprised he hadn't gotten himself drunk yet.

As Becky's extended family chatted warmly after a dinner at her mother's house, a hand fell on Seth's shoulder. "I'm going to walk down to the shops to get some more cream for tea, and I wouldn't mind a bit of company. Would you care to join me?" Ken's smile was sturdy and smooth; his face looked like he smiled often.

"Uh, sure. That'd be great." Seth started to rise, glancing around for Becky. Unlike the stereotype, she didn't appear to have any relatives who were natural redheads, so spotting her should have been easy. "I should just find Becky to let her know. . . ."

Annette patted his arm as she made her way past him. "She's in the kitchen with her brother," she said. "I'll let her know you just stepped out for a bit when I head back in."

"Thanks." It seemed to take a year to wade through the crowd to get his shoes and jacket; everyone wanted to ask him how he liked Ireland or suggest things to do while he was there, and none of them seemed to care that he and Becky were celebrities. It was both odd and incredibly welcoming.

Somehow Ken had made it outside before him and was standing on the front step, gazing up at the setting sun. "We'd best hurry. Our shops don't stay open as long as yours do in America. Much better for the workers, but not so convenient when you run out of cream for the tea."

As they walked, Seth took the time to examine Becky's father. They had talked earlier in the day as well, but with so many visitors coming and going, Seth hadn't had much chance to get a good feel for Ken. _He looks like a professor from a movie,_ Seth thought. So far, Ken had been warm and kindly, perhaps a bit absent-minded. He had barely spoken about his cancer diagnosis and would generally reroute the conversation if anyone tried to steer it there. Over and over he had said that this should be a happy visit, since Becky so rarely got to spend any length of time at home. "I grew up in a small town where everything was closed on Sundays," Seth recalled. "Everything's so different now."

"That it is." As they approached a corner, Ken slowed a bit. "I believe I've been calling you Seth all day. I should apologize for that. It's what I'm used to, of course, from seeing you on TV. Your name is Colby, yes?"

Seth nodded. "Either's fine, really. I'm used to both. Becky was smart and used something connected to her real name, but there aren't many things you can do with _Colby_."

"I imagine not," Ken chuckled. Once he saw that there was no traffic coming, he started crossing the street. The bright lights of the store were already in sight. "But I imagine the separation can be nice in its own way."

"It is," Seth confided. "Nowadays, most fans know a lot about our personal lives—too much, if you ask me—but only a few have tried calling me Colby. Most of them respect the distinction."

"That's good." Ken fell silent for a long moment. "Not overwhelmed by all the family and friends about yet, are you? We Irish can be a handful, so I'm told."

Seth felt his cheeks stretch in a smile and he let himself enjoy it for a moment. Normally he used his work smile, the one for the broadcasts and the fan photos and the promotions. This one, his real one, was wide and goofy and he had used it more this year—almost always because of Becky in some way—than he could ever remember. "It's really nice. It's cozy. I have a few Irish friends other than Becky, so I'm hoping I'll pick up on the language and slang eventually."

Ken gave his shoulder a friendly pat. "You're going to ask her to marry you, aren't you?" When Seth's eyes almost burst out of his head, Ken laughed. "Not today or anything. I know that. But eventually, and soon." He tapped Seth's temple and smiled. "I can see it in your eyes."

"I . . . well. . . ." Seth wasn't sure how to respond. It was obviously on his mind, and he wanted to talk to her parents so they knew he was serious about her; if they had looked him up on the internet at all, they would have come across a lot of less than flattering things about him, and he wanted to assure them that he adored their daughter and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. But he hadn't thought as far as a ring or a location yet. He'd already had one engagement end calamitously; he didn't want a repeat. "I love her," he began simply, trying not to stammer. "And she makes every day better, and I honestly don't know how I would have gotten through these last few months without her. . . ."

"Annette will say it's all happening too quickly, of course." Ken was continuing as if Seth weren't a blabbering mess beside him. "She's the sensible one. But I know I've never seen my daughter happier, and I know that's in large part to you. You've been friends for years now and even when she was NXT, there was . . . an obvious fondness in her voice whenever she talked about you." They had reached the shop and Ken paused in front of the door. "If you want to sweeten up Annette, I can show you which chocolates are her favourite," he added.

The ease with which Ken flitted from subject to subject baffled Seth, but he followed him into the store anyway, his gaze constantly drawn this way and that by the different brands and items offered for sale. He grabbed a few interesting-looking chocolate bars to take home for his family and then caught up with Ken. "So you don't object?"

Ken shook his head. "I don't. It wouldn't matter if I did, though. Rebecca knows her heart and she knows her mind. If you fit in with both, then that's what matters. I just want her to be happy. Happy and healthy and fulfilled. That's all I've ever wanted for her—for anyone I love. If you're a part of that for her, why would I possibly object?" He grabbed one carton of cream from the cooler, thought for a moment and got a second, and then turned to Seth. "Annette won't either. She'll raise red flags, of course. It's what she does, bless her. But she wants Rebecca to be happy too, of course. She just has different concerns than I tend to."

Seth glanced up at the counter, but the cashier seemed to be fixated on her cell phone. Asking Becky to marry him wasn't exactly something he wanted to discuss widely in public; he didn't want it to leak because with his luck, someone would be taking a video and they would send it to her on Twitter. "I can understand that."

The conversation paused for a few minutes as Ken made his purchases and then Seth followed suit, the cashier barely lifting her gaze as she handed him his change. "All that I would ask," Ken added, "is that you don't want too long." He tapped his chest for emphasis as they left the shop and headed back towards Annette's. "I'm sure you've noticed I don't like to talk about the cancer, but that doesn't change facts. My doctors are hopeful so I try to be as well, but being able to be at the wedding, to dance with—" A wave of emotion softened his face and made him take a deep breath. "It would be an honour and a joy. I've seen my girl win titles now and I saw her in the main event at WrestleMania. All that's left is her wedding and grandchildren. And given how her career is going, I imagine I might have to wait a while on the latter."

Clearing his throat, Seth adjusted his grip on his bag of chocolate bars. "That's more for Becky to decide than me," he said simply.

"The very truth," Ken agreed, a smile transforming his face once more. "And God willing, I'll still be here to be a doting grandfather. Until then, we'd best be getting the cream back."

Seth already thought Becky was a marvel. She had gone through so much in her career: leaving home and travelling the world to pursue her dream, wisely stepping back when she was injured, fighting her way back. Looking at Ken, there was little doubt where she got her dreamer's tenacity from. Now he just had to deal with the sensible side, and he doubted Annette would be so easy to convince.

*

It was well past midnight when the last of the visitors were leaving Annette's house, and Becky was at the door, wishing them all well. When Ken announced that he was going to be on his way, she gave Seth a quick squeeze. "I'm going to walk Dad out," she said quietly. "I won't be long."

Seth kissed her forehead and stroked her hair. They didn't have an event for a few days, so she had her extensions taken out and he wasn't used to her hair not being down to her waist. "Take your time," he told her. "I can help your mom tidy up."

"Did I hear an offer of help?" Annette poked her head around the kitchen doorway. "That would be lovely. Go on, Rebecca," she said when Becky shot her mom a look. "We'll be fine. Go talk with your father."

Becky raised her eyebrows at Seth as she shrugged into her jacket. "Come on, Dad. I've been told to _go on_." She wrapped an arm around Ken's shoulders and they headed out the front door, switching to Irish as soon as they were out of the house.

"Thank you for the help," Annette said, doing a circuit of the living room and starting a stack of plates. "Company's lovely, of course, especially when Rebecca's home, but if I don't want a houseful come morning, then it means I have a sinkful of dishes to do in the dark."

Seth hadn't noticed the lack of dishwasher until Annette had mentioned it. "Better to have the quiet in the morning, I think." He paused at the sink, looking for a towel.

"You haven't asked her yet, have you?" Annette dropped her voice. "I didn't want to nag at her in case you hadn't—you only get that kind of surprise once and I didn't want to spoil it." Almost as an afterthought, she handed Seth a dish towel and started running water in the sink.

"Did you . . . talk to Ken?" Otherwise Seth's intentions were so obvious that it would be a surprise if Becky didn't buy herself a ring and propose to save time.

Annette shook her head, a few stray soap bubbles almost catching in her hair. Whereas Ken looked like a quirky professor, she looked like a gracefully aging model—which in fact she was. Once you looked at her cheekbones and jaw line, it was easy to figure out where Becky got her striking looks from. "No, but I saw you two go off to the shops, and men don't go off in pairs often. When it's a father and a boyfriend? That usually means one of a few things. Ken's not the sort to warn people to stay in line, so I figured you were asking for his blessing."

Seth shook his head slowly. "No. Not exactly, anyway. To be honest, I never got the chance, but I know it's ultimately between me and Becky."

"That's good." Annette hummed softly under her breath as she started to scrub a dish. Once it was clean, she handed it directly to Seth rather than putting it in the second sink. "I suppose Ken also told you I would say it's happening too quickly."

"He did." Seth did his best not to chuckle. Becky's parents had split up when she was still a toddler, but they were both devoted to their kids and did their best to get along for their sakes. They still talked about each other like an old married couple, though, and he couldn't wait to create that instinctual type of rapport with Becky. "Not in a bad way or anything," he felt obliged to add.

Annette chuckled at that. "Oh, I know. I'm the sensible one, so he says. I kept the kids' bellies full, but he was the one who kept their heads full. Good thing Rebecca's got a bit of both of us; it holds her in good stead, I think." Then she shook her head, seemingly more at a memory or thought than the current conversation. "I remember when Rebecca told me you two were dating. I was so surprised, because she always said she wouldn't date anyone in the business. _But Mom, I've known him for forever!_ " Annette's imitation of her daughter's deeper voice was quite good. " _We've been friends for almost six years!_ "

Seth just nodded. Four years, five years, six. Neither of them could quite remember, but they had grown up together in a way, finding their footing in NXT. Then Seth had been called up to the main roster years before her, but they always kept in touch. She had helped him cope with bad break-ups, nude photo leaks, career-threatening injuries; he had done his best to encourage her when she felt like she was doomed to flounder in NXT forever. "I wish I had figured it out sooner," he confided, "I really do. It would have made my past few years a lot less dramatic."

" _Less dramatic_ ," Annette echoed. "I'm not sure I've ever heard those words used in conjunction with Rebecca." When Seth followed her gaze out the kitchen window, he realized Annette was watching Becky and Ken hug at the end of the walkway. "I want Rebecca to be happy. Safe, too, of course. Healthy. Right now, she seems to have all that, so I can't complain." Then she looked over at Seth. "But I'm her mother. I'm an _Irish_ mother, and if you plan on having kids with her, you better learn what that all entails. Because a big part of that is worry. I worry every time she has a match. I even worry if she's just talking in the ring. I worry because I know how much she loves wrestling and I know how much she would miss it if it were taken away from her again. If, God forbid, something happened and she couldn't wrestle, I don't know if having a boyfriend—fiancé—in the business would be the healthiest thing for her. It could make her push too hard to make another comeback."

Ken had warned him that Annette would raise red flags; Seth just hadn't considered that one. "There are other things she could do in WWE: Commentary, training, promotional work. I know they wouldn't be as fulfilling for her as wrestling is, but she wouldn't have to give it up totally."

"I can't picture Rebecca behind a desk reading off notes to narrate a match, can you?" Annette got back to washing in earnest. "I know it's an odd sort of life, wrestling. You're both used to the strangeness of it, so that's good. But what happens if her star fades and yours soars, or the other way around? You're both so competitive. . . ."

"I've always been one of her biggest supporters," Seth said vehemently. "That's not going to change. Not if she's doing better than me. Not if she has a title and I don't. Not even if we would break up." It hurt to even say the last possibility out loud, but he had to acknowledge it to show Annette that he was considering all the angles. "She never resented that I was called up to the main roster before she was. We both want the best for each other."

"Hm." Minutes passed with the only sounds in the kitchen being the sloshing of water and the gentle wipe of the dish towel across utensils and cups. "Well, you've already said it's up to you and Rebecca, and that's right. Times have changed, thankfully."

Seth felt his shoulders tighten. Becky's family meant so much to her; he might not have needed her parents' blessing, but having it would have reassured him. "That's true," he said slowly, "but it's important to me that you know how much I love her and that I'm serious—"

Annette's grin wasn't quite as impish as her daughter's, but it was close. "I still think it's fast," she said, "but just because you get engaged doesn't mean you'd be getting married in two weeks." Her expression dimmed as she looked out the window again, watching Ken get in his car. "He's putting on a brave face for her, I know, but I worry that he won't be with us much longer. If Rebecca's happy, it would mean so much to him. . . ."

 _That's love,_ Seth thought. It wasn't always kisses and sex and eternal devotion. Sometimes it was letting go. Sometimes it was swallowing your pride to do the best for your child, as his mother had done. Sometimes it was keeping your mouth shut so you didn't tarnish someone else's happiness. And sometimes, like now with Annette, it was putting aside your own reservations so someone else's considerations could come first. "Thank you," he said simply.

"Don't thank me." Annette dried a hand on Seth's towel and fanned her face as if keeping back tears. "Thank Rebecca. She has a way of bringing out the best in people."

Thinking back to all the ways he had changed and grown in the past few months, Seth couldn't help but smile. "That she does."

*

Becky and Seth had both been willing to stay at a hotel, but Annette had insisted they stay at least one night, so after the dishes were done and the living room was tidied, they had excused themselves for the night and curled up together, quiet and content. "So that's my family, more or less," Becky said, head pillowed on his chest. "Minus a few cousins and all that."

"Very Irish," Seth said simply, kissing the top of her head. Now that he essentially had the blessing of both her parents, he could have proposed then and there, even without a ring, but he wanted something more for that moment. His mind was already whirling with ideas for an engagement ring, and he was trying not to let them slip. It was hard when Becky had such a keen eye; he had tried texting Joshy while Becky was changing for bed and she spotted their trainer's avatar from across the room. "I can see why you miss it so much."

"Yeah?" She seemed pleased by that. "My parents didn't frighten you off? Well, Dad wouldn't. Ma would probably give you a speech about how I said I would never date another wrestler and blah blah blah. . . ."

Listening and watching to Becky now within the context of her parents, Seth could see both Annette and Ken, the doer and the dreamer. _What would our kids be like?_ It wasn't the first time the idea of having kids with Becky had come to mind. That was one of the first things that made him think of proposing, even though they hadn't even been dating for six months. He'd been in relationships that had lasted for years, and the mere thought of kids had never crossed his mind. With Becky, though, each time he saw her pose for a fan photo with a kid, it made him wonder. "First time for everything, right?" Before he could stop himself, he added, "And hopefully last."

Becky just laughed. "Because chefs are where it's at."

"I own a coffee shop," he pointed out, tickling her side. "Does that count for anything?"

"You also own a wrestling school," Becky countered, snuggling closer. "Damn. I barely own a parking spot. I need to start investing. I should start a dog rescue. . . ."

"You do know that running a dog rescue doesn't just mean _they all live in my house now_ , right?" Seth teased. Becky's soft spot for animals was possibly the only thing that could edge out her fondness for children. "But I could see you doing that. The proper version, I mean, not just having a bunch of dogs in your living room."

Becky gave a mock pout. "You mean they couldn’t even visit? I throw great parties." Then her lips twitched. "So did you and Dad have a good talk? I know where the shops are from here," she added when Seth scrambled to think of a suitable fib. "I know it how long it takes to get cream and come back."

"Nothing gets past you, does it?" Seth rolled her onto her back and kissed her gently. Since her mom was sleeping just across the hall, they had both agreed not to have sex that night, but that didn’t mean there weren't other smaller pleasures they could enjoy.

"Not much," Becky agreed, "including the fact that you still haven't answered my question." She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him down to her. "Everything okay?"

Seth nodded. "Yeah. He just asked if I was overwhelmed by all the Irishness yet and I asked how his health was." Then he pointed over to the chest of drawers. "And I got some weird Irish chocolate bars for people back home." He gave a rough chuckle at that. "The States. You know what I mean."

"It's my home too," Becky said softly, stroking his back. "I love Ireland. I always will. But this house is my ma's house, not mine. If I ever moved back permanently—even if I just had a second place here—I don't know if I'd want it to be so close to Dublin. I'm used to having my own space now. One a little bit further from family so they wouldn't drop in at all hours."

It took Seth a moment to catch up. They hadn't been in Ireland long and they wouldn’t be able to stay much longer—even this stay of a few days had to be worked in with a European tour—but he was amazed by how Becky's native accent had unfurled in the presence of so many other Irish speakers. She did her best to stick to English when they were together so he didn't feel left out, but he loved hearing the peaks and swoops of her native tongue. "Don’t forget a yard for a dog."

" _Garden_." Becky sweetened the correction with a kiss. "But yeah, definitely that. I miss my pug."

"Well, Kevin says he'll happily be a substitute until you get another pug." His dog followed Becky endlessly when she was staying with him, probably because she was quite happy to pet him for an hour straight. 

"That's very sweet of him." Becky settled her hands low on his back. "We're staying in a hotel tomorrow, right?" Even if he couldn't see the glimmer in her eyes, her tone filled in all the blanks. 

Seth shook his head, lips twitching in a grin. "No." When Becky started to protest, he leaned down and kissed her. "Technically that would be tonight," he said, pointing at the bedside clock.

Becky's grin was a mirror of his own. "Even better." 

Kisses would have to do for the time being, but Seth knew they were both looking forward to some time they didn't have to share with family or fans. It would have been fitting to propose to her on their final night in Ireland, but he had other plans in mind, ones that would hopefully make Becky as happy as she made him.


	2. Christmas in Ireland

Spooning could be a tricky thing. With some of Becky's previous boyfriends, whether it was because of a height difference or snoring or some other factor, it had simply been awkward and uncomfortable. As with so many things, though, it wasn't a problem with Seth. They fit together perfectly, he was incredibly warm, and on bad days, the surety of his presence was the only thing that helped her sleep.

From his deep, steady breathing, she had assumed Seth was asleep, fortifying himself for a lively Irish Christmas with her family, but then Becky felt his lips move against her shoulder. "Marry me."

She didn't turn to look at him. When Seth just woke up, his gaze—soft and a bit dopey, but still somehow sizzling—was a dangerous thing and had made her late more than once. It was still hours before they had to be up for Christmas morning, but with so many relatives coming, Becky knew she had to be well rested. "Kind of already planned on doing that," she replied, lifting up her left hand so he could see it. It felt so strange to be able to wear her engagement ring for so many days in a row, uninterrupted except by workouts. Somehow it made the engagement more real than any Instagram photo or announcement tweet could. 

Seth reached over her shoulder, grabbed her hand, and gently brought it to his mouth, his sleepy-slow breath tickling her fingers. "Today," he clarified, kissing her knuckles and then turning her hand to kiss her palm. "Marry me today."

Becky let out a nervous chuckle. They had both agreed that they would like to take a similar approach to Dean and Renee, choosing a time that felt right rather than planning—and agonizing—for months in advance. "It's Christmas Day," she reminded him, brushing her fingers against his mouth. "No one would be available, and we don't have a licence. . . ." That did make her turn a bit. The proposal in Hawaii had taken her by surprise, so it wouldn't be a stretch to find out that Seth had started on the next stage. "We don't. Do we? We can't. You need my signature or something for that, don't you?" She didn't have anything to wear, she hadn't designed his ring yet. . . . "And . . . and you're American. There must be so much paperwork we'd need to do. . . ."

"I don't care." Seth let go of her hand and gently turned her around to face him, cuddling her close. "It's Christmas. You said you weren't sure what to get me. Well, I want a wife—"

Becky pressed her face to his chest to keep from laughing and waking up everyone else in the house. " _A Wife for Christmas_? That sounds like one of those Hallmark movies Renee's obsessed with."

"There must be some Vegas-like thing here where we can go to a court or something. . . ." Seth rolled her onto her back and started kissing her neck.

"Ireland doesn't work like that. . . ." Becky knew she should probably protest more, but Seth was so warm and comfortable and his mouth always felt like the prickling heat when you sat too close to a campfire. "And you don't really want our anniversary to be on Christmas, do you?"

Seth's growl seemed to echo through her collarbones. "Tomorrow, then." His hands were at her hips, teasing gently until she spread her legs for him. "Before we go back. . . ."

"That's a holiday here too," Becky reminded him softly, her resolve melting away with every touch. "St. Stephen's Day. But if you want to get married in Ireland, I can ask Ma to look into the legal details and we can come back—"

Seth moved back over her, kissing her so slowly Becky almost forgot where they were, let alone what he was asking. He entered her the same way, tender but ardent, and she let out a long, shuddering breath. "But I want to marry you _now_." He should have sounded like a petulant child, but the intensity in his gaze made his words incredibly potent.

"Ma always used to joke that I'd have to come back to Ireland if I ever wanted to find a husband." It was meant to lighten the moment, but his gaze hadn't moved from hers and it was making it difficult to focus. A scrap of an idea came to her, but she didn't know if it would do more harm than good: when Seth got fixated on something, it could be almost impossible to dissuade him. She pulled him down close to her, hoping to muffle most of the noise they were going to make, and brushed her lips against his ear. "I, Rebecca, take you, Colby, as my husband—" She had been to enough weddings that she felt like she ought to remember the standard vows, but the more he touched her, the harder it was to focus.

The muscles in Seth's shoulders rippled beneath Becky's fingers, moving down his back like a tide. "Becks. . . ." He pressed his forehead to hers. "Please don't stop. . . ."

"I won't if you don't." Keeping one hand up by his neck, Becky ran the other along his back and continued her patchwork vows. "For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer—" She paused to press her mouth against his shoulder, muffling a sharp gasp. When he murmured an apology and slowed slightly, Becky caught her breath and continued. "In sickness and in health, for the rest of my life." She had never really liked _till death do us part_ , and she knew he would remember every single word she used put in her online announcement. She tried to add her own words into the mix, but she was too close to climaxing and didn't trust herself not to scream, so she gave up and simply told him she loved him instead, over and over until she had to bite down on her thumb to muffle herself. "It's a work in progress," she huffed as she caught her breath.

Grinning madly, Seth rolled onto his back and cuddled her close to his side. "Thank you." He brought her left hand to his mouth again and kissed it before holding it over his heart.

Becky just smiled. "Does that mean I don't have to worry about your Christmas present now?"

"Nice try. I still want my present." Seth kissed the top of her head. "But since you need time to practice, I suppose I can wait a little bit longer—"

"As long as you get to help with the practicing, right?" Becky rested her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat gradually return to normal. Hers would take longer—it always did—but she didn't think falling back to sleep would be a problem.

"Just trying to be supportive." Seth readjusted the blankets so there were more on her side than his. " _Practice makes perfect_ and all that. . . ."

"Go back to sleep." Becky poked him in the ribs as she snuggled in closer. "Because if you show up to my family Christmas all dopey-eyed, they're going to know exactly why and you'll never hear the end of it."

Seth nestled back into the pillows and stroked her shoulders gently. "But I haven't done my vows yet," he teased softly. "And I—"

"Sleep now," Becky insisted, covering his mouth with her hand, "practice later." Then she kissed his cheek. "And Merry Christmas."

"Nollaig shona," Seth replied, stumbling over the last word. When Becky glanced up at him, he blushed a bit. "Okay, what did I say? Your brother swore it was just _Happy Christmas_ —"

"It is." Becky moved up just enough to kiss him. He was never going to be great at Irish, but she loved that he was willing to try, even if it was just for a few phrases. "Maybe I should do my vows in Irish . . . or you could use it for yours." Grinning, she pressed her lips to his ear and whispered, "I would help you practice. I'm supportive like that."

Seth laughed. "I'm starting to think you really don't want to go back to sleep. . . ."

"Well, it's not really fair that you got to hear my vows and I haven't heard yours yet," Becky replied. They really did need to get some sleep, but another quickie or two wouldn't hurt.

"I, Seth," he began, pulling her on top of him, "take you, Rebecca. . . ."


	3. The First Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (This won't really match up with the FLAMES timeline or with the bits of real-life information we've been given in interviews, so it's a bit of this and a bit of that.)

Something was going to happen that night. Becky had been buzzing with a strange energy all day long, a mixture of anticipation and curiosity, and as the day went on, the more eager she became. 

When the hotel most of the main roster had chosen was evacuated because of a bomb threat, though, she wondered if her instincts were off. Now her fellow wrestlers were scrambling for back-up suites and many of them had ended up at the hotel she and Seth had chosen. Separate rooms, for appearance's sake—or so her instincts said. With so many of their co-workers and friends nearby, though, it wasn't likely they would get any time alone at all. So far, only their bosses knew about their fledgling relationship, and she and Seth had only brought it up so that Seth's backstage appearances at SmackDown shows didn't raise questions.

"How did you guys manage to get rooms on the same floor?" Roman shook his head as he followed them into the elevator. "When I called for a room, it took me ten minutes to even talk to a real person."

Becky did her best to make her shrug look casual as Seth stood beside her, subtly sneaking his arm around her waist under her jacket. "Dumb luck, I guess? If you want to trade so you can be closer to Seth. . . ." When Seth pinched her ass, she barely managed to cover her gasp with a cough. Thankfully Roman had his back turned to them as he pressed the buttons for their respective floors.

Roman turned down her offer with a laugh. "Nah. I was on the road with him long enough with The Shield. If either of you are free for breakfast, though, that'd be cool. I'm usually up early so I can call Galina and the kids before I'm out for the day. Does seven sound good?"

Seth nodded, gingerly sliding his arm free as the elevator stopped at their floor. "Sure. See you down there, man."

"Say hi to JoJo for me," Becky added, grabbing her bag and giving Roman a hug before stepping out into the hallway. By the time Seth had said his goodbyes and got off the elevator as well, she was halfway to her room—her _door_ , more accurately. They had opted for a family-style suite with a connecting door so they could avoid any scenes—or fans with cameras—in the hallway. When she heard the elevator give its warning bell that the doors were closing, she turned to face Seth, pointing her keycard at him like an accusing finger. "What were you doing?"

Grinning, Seth took his time walking to meet her. "What do you mean?"

Becky narrowed her eyes. "Pinching my ass with Roman _right there_?" When he stopped in front of her, she had to tilt her head back to glare at him effectively. Sometimes the height difference could be advantageous—not to mention more than a bit of a turn-on—but at the moment it was simply annoying.

"Oh, you mean after you practically offered him your room?" Seth edged closer, pressing her back against the wall. "We picked this place to get _away_ from the roster, remember?"

"I know, but. . . ." Becky let out a shallow breath. It was getting harder and harder to keep her cool when Seth was around. Since she was still technically on the SmackDown roster, it wasn't a huge deal yet, but it made her RAW appearances feel like walking a tight rope in stilettos. The energy that had been flooding through her all day long was a tsunami now, loud and undeniable.

Seth cupped the back of her head with one hand and kissed her slowly, grabbing her ass with the other hand to bring her closer. When she went on tiptoe, he groaned, pressing her even harder against the wall. Becky expected him to pull back at any moment, mindful of their surroundings, but instead he slid his hand up from her ass to the small of her back, sneaking under her shirt. "I don't want to go," he murmured.

Every place they touched skin to skin felt like fireworks, bright and chaotic. "What do you want then?" It was a loaded question and Becky knew it, but he was looking at her the way he had when she hugged him at Royal Rumble, back when they had barely even kissed but his gaze had been pure desire.

His fingers skimmed the bottom of her bra band. "I want you to ride me."

Becky nearly dropped her keycard. "What are you doing?" There was no sharpness in her tone, though, only breathy surprise.

Seth opened the lowest hook on Becky's bra, making her gasp. "I want you to ride me," he repeated, dipping his head so he could kiss her neck. "I want to watch you slide down on my co—"

" _Seth_." Normally she would shut him up with a kiss—it was effective and enjoyable all at once—but that would have taken too long from her current angle, so she pressed her free hand over her mouth instead. "We're in the hallway," she hissed. "There are cameras and—"

His tongue darted across her palm, leaving her speechless. "Your palms are sweating," he teased, licking the heel of her thumb. "Any other places wet yet?"

Becky shut her eyes, trying to ignore all the memories that were coming to mind. She and Seth might not have gone further than oral yet, but they'd made up for that in creativity and frequency. For her, it was mostly psychological: having someone in her bed, inside _her_ , implied a certain level of trust. Once she got to that stage, she was invested and no matter how much time she spent with Seth, some small part of her was still trying to maintain a safe distance. Then there was the other obvious answer: if they broke up, she couldn't miss the sex if they hadn't fucked in the first place. "Seth—"

"I want to check." He kissed her again, slow and beguiling, and Becky barely noticed that he had opened the second hook on her bra before he spun her around to face the door. Then his mouth was on her neck again, and while one hand stayed on her back, the other snaked around her waist and down the front of her leggings. 

" _Seth._ " Hands shaking, Becky tried to shove the keycard in the door before he could get his fingers between her legs, but she wasn't quick enough. She jerked back against him as his fingers started to move, and she was almost grateful when his other hand unfastened the last hook and her bra band went slack; at least one point of pressure was relieved. When she finally got the door to open, she stumbled inside, nearly tripping over her own feet. 

Seth was faster, though, shoving their bags inside the room, shutting the door, and pressing Becky against it once more, careful not to get her face too close to the framed list of rules, disclaimers, and other legalese that every hotel seemed to post. "Better?"

Becky tried to turn around to face him, but Seth was tugging her jacket off and tossing it to the side. "Breakfast at seven," she blurted. How that had come out of her mouth when Seth was pushing her shirt up her back, kissing a trail in the wake of his hands, was beyond her, but she was glad she had thought of it before too many pieces of clothing were lost. "If Roman goes to your door. . . ."

But Seth wasn't so easily distracted. As he kept kissing his way up her back, he held out his phone to her. "Alarm for six," he murmured against her skin.

Becky struggled to use his phone with just one hand. "Sex?" The slip made both of them laugh, Seth's chuckle making her shoulders tighten. "Six. _Six._ " He had her shirt and bra pushed up high enough that it was hard to move her arms. "Shouldn't six-thirty be fine?"

Seth reached around to cup one of her breasts. "Not if you want me to wake you up properly." Then he grabbed the phone from her, checked that the alarm was programmed, and set the phone on the entry table before tugging at her shirt. "This is in my way."

Becky did her best to shimmy out of her shirt, but Seth did most of the work, coaxing it and her bra over her head and down her arms. "Seth, when you said—" She took a sharp breath when Seth turned her around, picked her up, and started nuzzling her breasts. _Maybe he feels it too,_ she thought in a haze, wrapping her legs around him as he started to walk to her bed. He had been giving her that smoldering look all day, but he wasn't usually quite so emphatic the second the door closed; normally they would change and check messages and relax for a bit when they first arrived at their hotel. "When you said you wanted me to ride you," she tried again, shutting her eyes as he sat on the edge of the bed. Damn, he could make it difficult to keep a coherent thought in her head. "Did . . . do you mean—"

Seth's hands seemed to span her entire back, and she could feel every twitch of his fingers. The look he gave her was equal parts hunger and hesitation, and it wasn't just the brush of his beard against her breasts that made her shiver. "I brought condoms, but—"

She grabbed a handful of his hair, yanked his head back, and kissed him as hard as she could. When they had talked about sex and all the expectations around it, they had entertained the idea of waiting until WrestleMania. At the rate they were going, though, there was no way they would be able to hold off for that long. "Are you sure?" She cupped Seth's face in her hands and forced herself to meet his gaze even though she knew it would undo any resolve she had. "I know we'd talked about 'Mania. . . ."

Seth dragged his fingers down her back, making her squirm against him. "Becks, I've wanted this for weeks. I mean, even back at the Rumble . . . if you had asked, if you'd wanted to. . . ."

That was the exact opposite of what Becky needed to hear, because all it did was make her fantasize, wonder what might have happened if they'd found a quiet corner or empty room away from the cameras and the crew. Spandex was so easy to tug out of the way, and her singlet had zipped down past her waist. . . . "You're not helping my resolve here," she said, laughing shakily as she rested her forehead against his.

"It's just a hotel. It's not my place or your place," Seth added. "No emotional baggage attached to my house or yours if. . . ." He stopped stroking her back and looped his arms loosely around her waist, giving her a bit of space to think.

 _If_. They'd been dancing around that _if_ almost as much as they had been avoiding cameras. They were both so hesitant about dating a fellow wrestler and they had both kept their expectations low, but each day brought them closer. Hanging out with Seth all the time was practically a given for her now; when they spent days apart, she was always checking her phone to see if she had missed a message from him. "Sometimes . . . sometimes I giggle during sex. I don't know why. I don't mean to. But it's bothered some guys before. . . ."

Seth kissed her lightly on the lips. "It won't bother me. I promise. But if you want to stop, I'm fine with that too."

Becky sat back a bit in the circle of his arms and looked at him for a moment. He was breathing hard, just like she was, and his gaze was still smoldering; his erection had been incredibly distracting when she was snuggled against him. "Do I get to ride you first?" When Seth nodded eagerly, gaze never leaving hers, she added, "Careful. You might set a precedent for me topping you."

"Maybe that's part of my plan," Seth replied, kissing her shoulder. "But Becky, you know we don't—"

"I want to. I want _you_." Becky moved closer again, pressing against his erection and making him groan. "But there's all these pesky clothes. . . ."

Seth grinned. "What clothes?" In under a minute they had kicked off their shoes and pulled off the rest of Becky's clothes and all of his, but when Seth tried to reach for his bag, Becky moved back to the bed instead. "Becks, the condoms. . . ."

She wanted to keep pulling him towards the bed, to push him down and straddle him and do all the things she had been dreaming of for weeks, but she knew he was right. "You brought some with you to the arena?" His main luggage was in his half of the suite—which, if she had her way, he wouldn’t be seeing for a few hours.

His grin turned wicked. "I lived in hope?" he quipped, grabbing the condoms from his bag and sweeping Becky off her feet before she realized what was going on. When she reached for the condoms, though, he held them out of her reach. "Not yet." Then he set her down on the bed, put the condoms on the nightstand, and nudged her legs open. "I have a regular, you know."

The first time he had ever gone down on her had been in an arena parking lot, in the back of his rental. She had been nervous about meeting with Hunter and Vince about her WrestleMania trajectory, and Seth had pulled her into the back, easing her leggings down, making her melt from the instant he touched her thighs. He always seemed to know just what she needed: the tempo, the intensity, how much teasing she could bear. Now he was deliciously, unbearably slow, and even as she cursed at him, she loved every second of it. She thought he would stop after the first orgasm so she could play with him in turn, but he kept going until she was almost begging. "Not sure how . . . you expect me to . . . do much," Becky panted, "after all that."

"Maybe that's part of my plan." This time when he said it, Seth stretched out beside her, brushing sweat-damp hair out of her face. "If I wore you out, then you'd have to go slow." He kissed her and trailed a hand down from her neck to her hip. "I don't want to rush."

"Mission accomplished." Before her post-orgasm shivers ebbed away, she cuddled closer, losing all sense of time as they kissed and touched and teased while she caught her breath. When she finally pushed him onto his back, she sighed. "I don't want to screw this up. Us, I mean" she corrected quickly, running her fingers down his chest.

Seth gently grabbed her hips and pulled her closer until she was straddling his thighs. "You won't," he told her. " _We_ won't. We've known each other for years, Becks. It's not like we went into this lightly."

"I know." Becky plucked a condom from the nightstand and dragged the edge of its wrapper lightly over Seth's chest. His reassurance didn't stop her hands from shaking as she tore open the wrapper or her fingers from fumbling the condom onto his stomach, but his steadiness never wavered as she smoothed the condom into place. Before she could let her doubts distract her, Becky leaned down to kiss him. "Love you."

"Love you too." But even as Seth took a deep breath, he gripped her hips hard enough to stop her. "I want to watch, remember?"

"Tyrant." She settled back, though, and made sure Seth's eyes were open as she positioned herself and eased down on him. She didn't even have him all the way inside when she felt an ecstatic little giggle bubble up. After wanting him for so long and holding herself back, she was glad she had his hands to help anchor her.

"Don't." Becky blinked in confusion, not sure what Seth meant until he grabbed her hand and she realized it almost over her mouth. "I like it when you laugh."

Becky shut her eyes for a moment, getting used to how their bodies fit together. "So now if you hear me laugh backstage. . . ."

"It'll just give ideas for later in the night, that's all." Seth ran his hands down her legs. "Holy fuck, you're gorgeous."

"Nothing you haven't seen before." Becky bit down on her lip as she started to move, wishing she had pulled her hair back into a ponytail so it didn't keep slipping over her shoulder. They had been naked together often enough, but even she had to admit this was different. Knowing she could touch him just about anywhere she wanted was both intoxicating and intimidating.

"And still gorgeous," Seth murmured, pulling her down to him so he could kiss her, "every single time." His hands settled low on her back, prompting but not pushing.

Becky pulled back just enough to look into his eyes, which was almost always a mistake if she didn't want to get drawn in. "Scratches on the back?" When Seth's hands started to inch up, she shook her head. "Receiving, not giving."

Seth grinned, and it somehow looked boyish and wicked all at once. "Happily accepted."

"Good." She focussed on riding him then, shutting her eyes when everything seemed to go a bit hazy. Her goal was to make him climax first—if nothing else, it would be something she could use tease him about—but she was already halfway there when she'd started. When one of her elbows buckled, she almost collapsed on Seth's chest and she had to find her balance again. "Fuck. Sorry."

"Don't be." Seth rolled her over quickly but carefully, pinning her lightly to the bed while he shifted from her momentum to his own. 

As soon as her hands were free, Becky grabbed his shoulders and wrapped her legs around him loosely. Now that she didn't have to concentrate, she came quickly, breath catching in her throat and squeaking out in little moans that almost matched Seth's stroke for stroke. "Oh god," she said at last, taking big, gasping breaths. "Why did we wait so long?"

Laughing, Seth nuzzled her neck. Their kisses were getting sloppier, their hands bolder, their hips faster, and Becky felt so resoundingly _good_ in a way that had nothing—or at least not everything—to do with her orgasms. Those were delicious and she would take every single one and a few more, please and thank you, but it was the way Seth looked at her that mattered. The way he touched her like it was a privilege to do so, the way he murmured in her ear as if talking too loudly would shatter the moment. "Because it wouldn't be like this," he said simply. 

Maybe it was cliché, but it was true: the wait had made it all sweeter. Seth's climax made his arms shake and Becky pulled him down to her, running her hands down his back. As much as she had wanted to dig her nails in, she knew he had appearances coming up to worry about. "I might have to keep you around for a while, Rollins," she smiled, pushing him over onto his back again and snuggling against his side.

Seth's chest rose and fell jerkily, his breathing staggered. "That was _definitely_ part of my plan," he quipped, wrapping his arms around her.

It wasn't long before they got tangled up again, fucking on and off, sometimes remembering a condom and sometimes not, sleeping in deep but short spurts. A sharp electronic beep made Becky burrow closer to his chest. "Make it stop," she pleaded. 

"It's over on the table." With a groan, Seth detached himself from Becky and lurched out of the bed, hastily discarded condom wrappers crinkling under his feet as he went to the entry table. "Six o'clock warning." Then he turned on the light, making Becky retreat under the covers even more. "Time to wake up."

Becky pulled down the blankets enough to glare at him. "You said you needed time to wake me up _properly_. . . ."

Grinning, Seth pounced on the bed and pulled the covers down, making her yelp at the sudden chill. "And I will. But that involves the shower."


	4. Planning the Ring

The thought had been in Seth's head off and on for a few weeks, but for some reason, it was front and centre that day. Something must have shown on his face, because Becky had asked him a few times if he was okay, so he thought a strenuous workout was a sure-fire way to both distract her and to clear his thoughts. So far, it was fulfilling the first part quite well: Becky was happily lifting weights and chatting with other people in the gym, comparing fitness routines and goals and, naturally, admiring photos of their pets on their phones. His head was still spinning, though, so Seth waited until Becky was deep in a conversation with someone about grunge music to pull Joshy off to the side. "Hey, man, I have a question for you. . . ."

"Water first," Joshy stated flatly, taking a bottle from a huge tub of ice and handing it to Seth. It might have only been the barest beginnings of summer, but the day was a scorcher and the trainer had put strict time limits on anyone using the outdoor equipment.

"Okay, _Dad_." Seth downed a quarter of the water and then poured some on his face, barely registering the chill as it spilled down over his shoulders. Leaning against a wall in the shade, he made his next sips more leisurely. "I need to ask a favour. I think. . . ."

Joshy towelled some sweat off his face. "First it's a question. Now it's a favour. Should I be worried? You're not in trouble or anything, are you?"

"No. I just. . . ." Seth glanced over at Becky. Whenever he needed to focus, looking at her seemed to steady him; on the flip side, it could also make him lose his focus completely. _Love is weird,_ he thought as he watched her try to tighten her ponytail in vain; whether it was her extensions or the elastic, her hair just didn't want to stay in place. "I need some help with a ring."

"You need a new one at Black and Brave already? _Oh._ " Joshy nodded slowly when he followed Seth's line of sight. "Are you talking a ring or _the ring_?"

Seth made himself turn and look at Joshy so he wasn't too obvious. "The ring," he admitted. "I've been thinking about it for a while now, but I wanted to be sure because . . . well, you know." He hated thinking about how some of his earlier relationships had ended—he didn't want to jinx anything—but having another perspective couldn't hurt. "But I'm sure."

Joshy grabbed a bottle of water for himself and rolled it between his palms. "It's been how long now—five months or so?" When Seth started to protest, he held up a hand. "I'm not judging. I know you both. I've seen you two together and I've seen you two apart, and I've never seen either of you happier than you've been together this year."

"I know." Seth grabbed some smaller ice cubes from the tub and popped them in his mouth, hoping the sudden cold would help him focus. His gaze was drawn right back to Becky, though, even with Joshy laughing softly. Her hair was falling out of her ponytail, she was dripping with sweat, and her elbow was scabbed over from a ring injury—and she was still one of the most beautiful people he had ever seen. Sometimes he thought he loved her even more when she was a mess. "So much has gone on this year. I don't know if I would have been able to deal with all of it without her. And the more I think about that, the more I realize I don't want to face anything without her again." He forced himself to look away, sipping slowly at his water. "And I have a few ideas for a ring, but I know the second I step into a jewellery store, some smart-ass is going to take a picture and then it's on Instagram and there goes any chance I had of surprising her."

"You two have a big year ahead of you." Technically speaking, the wrestlers weren't supposed to share details of their character arcs with friends and family, but Seth and Becky both trusted Joshy to not blab. "When will you have time to sneak in a wedding?" Joshy asked. "Or are you planning to elope and apologize to Mama Lynch later?"

Seth shook his head. "I haven't thought that far ahead. Honestly, I'm fine with anything in terms of the wedding. I can elope, I can wait for a year or two; just . . . just knowing she wants to will be enough for me. I want to take her to Hawaii to propose, though. I know how much she loves it there, and it's been so long since either of us has had a real vacation, so—"

Joshy made a quick, curt motion with his hand, so Seth wisely stopped talking. Seconds later, he felt Becky's arms, warm and taut from her workout, wrap around him from behind. "You're supposed to be working on your quads," she teased, "not your tongue." Then she gave a wicked little chuckle and added, "I'm supposed to be your partner for that."

"Best partner too." Seth half-turned and pulled her into a hug, kissing her softly. They tried not to be obnoxious in public, but it was still nice to not have to worry about who was around before he kissed her. "Joshy said I needed a water break."

"Well, in that case. . . ." Becky let her head rest against his chest, unbothered by the sweat that hadn't dried yet. "I'll take my hug break now too."

Joshy held a bottle of water out to her. "And water."

"Yeah, yeah." Becky held the bottle loosely with the tips of her fingers so the cold of it didn't shock Seth. After a few minutes of friendly chat, she sighed and stepped back, adjusting her ponytail. "Guess I should head back in. . . ."

Seth nodded. "I'll be back at it in a few minutes." He kissed her and watched her head back inside, smiling and chatting with the people she passed. "I don't want to lose that."

"You won't," Joshy assured him, patting his shoulder. "Whether you give her a ring tomorrow or next year or never, you won't. You know she's not like that."

"I know." Seth forced himself to turn his back to the gym so he wouldn't keep staring at her. Right now, it was mostly the regular crowd: a few wrestlers, some local athletes, and local CrossFit devotees. All of them were people he recognized on sight, even if he didn't know their names; they all knew he and Becky were together and didn't try to sneak pictures of them or tell gym stories on social media. "And she knows I feel the same. She could come up right now and say 'Let's go get married' and I'd just go get the car, but. . . ." He stopped when Joshy made a strange face. "What? Is she coming back?"

Then Joshy burst out laughing. "No. Just trying to psych you out, man. She's on a bike. You're fine."

"Asshole," Seth muttered, draining his water bottle and throwing it at his trainer, who caught it easily. "So will you help me or not?"

"Of course I will. Whatever you need. I'm guessing you just need someone to pick it up and keep it safe until you're ready?"Joshy subtly moved to the side so he could keep an eye on the action in the gym.

"Pretty much, yeah. And maybe some recommendations. I don't want to look up anything on my phone in case she would see it," Seth added. He had only looked online when they had their rare days apart, when he knew he had time to delete his history and make sure there was no trace of his searches. 

Joshy pointed at his office. "Feel free to use my stuff any time. She never goes in there, so you'd be safe, and you can bookmark whatever you need."

"Thanks." Grabbing another bottle of water for good measure, Seth returned to the gym. A bike beside Becky's opened up just as he was walking past, so he hopped on after kissing her cheek. While she told him about someone's new puppy, Seth kept stealing glances at her hands. He knew she wouldn't be able to wear the ring all the time, but he still wanted to create something beautiful for her. Not gold, because that wasn't really her style. Rose gold, though, was something she liked; she had worn a few pieces for a photo shoot and remarked on the colour. And the design could be simple—she didn't need a wall of diamonds around her finger—but it had to be powerful, striking. Like her. He wanted there to be some symbolism in it too, maybe in the number of diamonds or the shape. As he pedalled and listened, occasionally reaching down for his water bottle, a ring design became clearer in his head, and he couldn't wait to start making it a reality, one more dream Becky had helped make come true.


	5. The First 'I Love You' - Becky's POV

The gym seemed exceptionally hot that day, or maybe it was just that Seth _looked_ exceptionally hot that day, which made it harder for Becky to concentrate on her workout. She'd already taken three breaks and finished two bottles of water. As she started to reach for her third, another gym patron grabbed it. "Sorry," the woman said after a pause. Then she held out the bottle. "Do you—?"

Becky shook her head. "No, go ahead. I'm good." After the woman left, Becky stood on one leg and stretched the other, then switched. There was a quirky little convenience store that she liked not far from Joshy's gym, and now she had an excuse to walk over and clear her head a bit. The heady first days of dating Seth had passed, but she found him more distracting than ever. _It'll be easier when we're both on the same show,_ she told herself, bouncing from foot to foot. Seth had gone to a few SmackDowns just to hang out with her, but now that people were starting to take notice, they were trying to tone things down a bit in public. At Joshy's gym, though, they didn't have to worry. The tacit code of camaraderie within the CrossFit community meant no one was sneaking pictures of them, so it was one of the few public places they could act like a couple with relative freedom; most of the people in the gym that day didn't even know they were wrestlers, let alone famous ones.

"Out of water already?" Joshy remarked as he walked past. "I've got another case in the office, but it'll take a while to get cold." Even the ice in the large tub was starting to melt.

"I was going to walk over to the store and get something," Becky replied, tightening her ponytail. "Cool off a bit." The temperatures outside weren't much better, but maybe the fresh air would help. "You want anything while I'm there?"

"Nah. Hey, man." Joshy glanced up and Becky turned to see Seth approaching. "No cold water yet. I was just about to restock."

"And I'm going to run to the store quick," Becky added, trying to keep her gaze above Seth's shoulders. If Bayley were there, she would have said that Becky's thirst had nothing to do with water. "Want anything?"

Towelling some sweat off his chest, Seth shook his head and grabbed a few ice chips out of the bucket. "Just some water." Then he pressed the ice to his shoulder, letting it melt. "I'm almost done my set if you want to wait for some company."

"I've still got two sets to go." Becky coughed so Seth wouldn't see her biting her lip. "But I won't be gone long." She kissed his cheek on her way to Joshy's office, where she and Seth kept her purse and his fanny pack locked in a desk drawer. Once she had her purse slung over her shoulder, she gave her face and arms a quick wipe-down before heading back into the gym; in this weather, everyone looked sweaty, so she wasn't too worried about what they would think of her in the store. Standing on tiptoe, she kissed Seth again, letting her hand linger on his chest. "Be back soon. I love you."

_Oh fuck._

No one else but Joshy was close enough to hear it and it wouldn't have mattered to them anyway, but it meant something to her. In her head, she had said it a hundred times, that simple little phrase, but neither of them had quite said it out loud. Not until now. Seth's eyes widened a bit and Becky rocked back on her heels, nearly bumping into their trainer. "I . . . um . . . gonna go get that water," Joshy said, backing away to give them space. In some ways, he knew more about their relationship than their fellow wrestlers did.

"I . . . I didn't . . . I didn't mean—I mean, I _meant_ it," Becky corrected quickly, unable to look away from Seth's face. His expression was somewhere between stricken and smitten and she couldn't decide which would be better. _Idiot. Why didn't I say it at home or backstage or anytime other than RIGHT FUCKING NOW?_ "I mean it. Of course I do. But it's . . . I mean, you don't have to—"

Cupping her face in both hands, Seth leaned down and kissed her hard enough that she stumbled. "I love you too," he said, a wide, dopey smile stretching his cheeks when he pulled back just enough to meet her gaze. "I was going to say it before, but I didn't want to scare you off." Smoothing her hair back, he kissed the top of Becky's head and hugged her close. "Thank you."

With her face against his chest, Becky could hear Seth's heart thundering and it almost made her dizzier than the kiss had. _Well, that's that._ Maybe it was better that it had come out naturally rather than waiting for some perfectly crafted moment. He didn't seem put off, anyway, and that was the important thing. "I . . . I should probably get going," she murmured, pressing another kiss to his cheek before stepping back and heading towards the exit.

"Wall," Seth called out.

"I have my wallet," Becky replied, hoisting her purse strap higher on her shoulder for good measure.

" _Wall._ " An arm looped around her waist before she could take another step and when she looked up, one of the gym's concrete walls was inches away from her face. Seth gently shuffled her a few feet to the side before letting her go.

"Ha. Right. Well. . . ." Becky held his gaze for a long moment before a giddy grin pulled at her lips. "I'd better get going." She paused again and took a deep breath. "I love you."

Seth looked like he was about to swing from the rafters. "Love you too."

"Back soon." Before the moment got absurd, Becky turned and—making sure she was _not_ going head-first into a wall again—strode forward before she lost her nerve and ran back to kiss him. Like she'd thought, it wasn't much cooler outside, but the fresh air and space gave her room she needed to do a little happy dance as she waited to cross the street.

"You sure you don't need more water?" the clerk asked as she rang up Becky's purchases. "You look a little flushed."

Becky just grinned. "Yeah, I'm good." So much for cooling off.


	6. Seth tells his friends he's going to propose

"Where's Becky?" It was the first thing each of his friends had asked as they arrived at his house, peeking around corners as if they expected her to jump out at them. In fairness, she had succeeded in scaring Cesaro once, making him drop his custom video game controller, so Seth couldn't really blame them for being cautious. 

After the fourth time, however, he was starting to feel a bit superfluous. "She's at Charlotte's," Seth finally said, giving Roman a punch in the arm that was just on the painful side of friendly. "Why, did you all come to hang out with her and not me? I told you it was going to be a guys' night. . . ."

Finn motioned to the case of Irish beer he'd brought. "Well, to be honest, Rollins, this will be wasted on you. I'll leave some behind for Becky, though. A treat for when she gets back." After putting most of the beer in the refrigerator, Finn opened one for himself and hopped up on the kitchen counter, feigning a kick at Sheamus when he tried to read the label on the can.

"And she's easier to beat at video games," Cesaro added. "Not that I want to pad my stats or anything, but going into the next UpUpDownDown tournament with more wins under my belt couldn't hurt."

Roman was the only one who didn't join the ribbing. Instead he was leaning back against the counter, watching Seth intently. "Nah, our boy's got some sort of reason." He didn't say anything more, though, just chuckled a bit and took a mug down from the cupboard so he could pour himself a coffee.

"Group hug?" Sheamus suggested. Evading another kick from Finn, he took one of Seth's beers out of the fridge. "That's more of a New Day thing, but for you, fella—"

"I'm going to ask Becky to marry me, okay?" Seth gripped the edge of the island's granite counter. That wasn't how he intended to tell his friends at all, but keeping the ring-designing process a secret from Becky was starting to stress him out. _As long as I don't propose like that,_ he told himself, _everything will be fine._ Looking around the kitchen, though, he noticed that none of his friends looked particularly surprised by his announcement.

Roman simply nodded. "That's what I figured."

"That," Cesaro agreed sagely, "or she's pregnant, but since she was just wrestling two nights ago, that couldn't be it." Sheamus gestured to him as if conceding a point in a debate.

Finn took a long swig of beer and nodded as well. "About time. Vero keeps asking me if you've asked her yet."

Seth looked at each of his friends in turn, shaking his head. It didn't feel quite right without Dean there—he would have to call him later, but make sure he asked Renee to keep it a secret—but he still expected . . . well, _something_. Surely Roman, the voice of reason, would point out that Seth and Becky hadn't even been dating for half a year yet? Shouldn't Finn be bringing up some arcane Irish family ritual that Seth would have to perform before he could propose? Sitting on one of the island's stools, he took another look around, but none of his friends looked ready to stage an intervention. "I . . . was expecting some objections," he admitted, wishing he had poured himself a coffee; a beer would have only made the moment more muddled.

Roman recognized his conflicted expression and took out Seth's favourite cup, filling it nearly to the top before sliding it across the counter. "Expecting some or wanting some?" he asked. "Because it's not like you just met her in January, bro. You've known her for almost six years, right? And you guys have been friends for most of that. Good friends. If you know, then you know."

"And we have _eyes_ , man. Good god." Sheamus rolled his eyes, grabbing his beer and raising it in a mock toast. "Though I must admit, I was sort of hoping she'd ask you, because you would have completely lost it."

Finn laughed, his heels thumping against a cabinet door as his feet kicked gleefully. "And I'd record it," he added with an impish grin, "because you would probably pass out and forget all of it."

"Thanks for the votes of confidence, guys." Rolling his eyes, Seth sipped at his coffee even though it was still a bit too hot. "Better than an intervention, I guess. . . ."

Cesaro clapped him on the back hard enough that Seth's coffee nearly spilled. "Congratulations, man. I'm happy for you both."

"Same." Sheamus nearly crushed Cesaro and Seth both in a bear hug. "Now we just have to get you speaking Irish before you have kids so you can keep up."

"I'd rather teach the kids." Finn's grin hadn't dimmed a bit. "So he _can't_ keep up." Then he said something in Irish that made Sheamus give a booming laugh while the other three just shook their heads in confusion.

While Sheamus, Cesaro, and Finn clustered together telling jokes and laughing at what-if scenarios—mostly at Seth's expense—Roman came up and slung an arm around Seth's shoulders. "Congratulations. I'm so happy for you." He leaned his forehead against Seth's for a moment. "So who all knows? None of the Horsewomen, I'm guessing."

Seth shook his head. "My mom and Joshy; they're both helping me plan the ring and making sure Becky doesn't find out anything. Now you guys. I'll call Dean and Renee tonight. I wanted to keep it small so it can be a surprise, you know? I know she doesn't care about the whole spectacle of it, but . . . I just want to make the moment special."

Roman ruffled his friend's hair. "It will be. No matter what you do, she'll love it." Then he gave Seth an affectionate shove. "Let's go sit and you can show us what the ring's going to look like—"

"And you can run your engagement speech past all of us," suggested Sheamus, "seeing as we're practically Becky's brothers."

Cesaro rubbed his hands together. "Does this mean we get to plan a bachelor party?"

"Only if the Irish get to be in charge of the liquor," Finn grinned. "It's only fitting."

Seth glanced over at Roman for help, but his Shield brother just shrugged. "I can't help on the Irish front, man. Just show us the designs for the ring and maybe they'll drink themselves stupid and forget all their ideas before they can make any plans."

"Not going to happen!" Finn crowed, raising his beer in a toast as he led the way into the living room.

Watching his friends make their way into his living room—Finn singing some sort of song about a wedding night, Cesaro asking Sheamus about bachelor party customs, Roman giving Seth a look of brotherly resignation as he grabbed his coffee and followed the others—Seth took a moment to wonder if he wouldn't have been better off confiding in Bayley, Charlotte, and Sasha instead. But the men in his living room were some of his closest friends, as much family to him as they were to Becky. Having them be part of the process—even if they were teasing him at every opportunity—just felt right, and he hoped Becky had the same camaraderie when she eventually told her friends about their engagement.

_Eventually._ As Seth grabbed his tablet and opened up the photo gallery, he knew he wanted _eventually_ to be sooner rather than later—and only in part so he couldn't ruin the surprise. He hadn't looked forward to anything so much for a while and he was determined to appreciate it, nerves and all.


	7. One-Year Anniversary

"Three cards?" Seth glanced away from Becky long enough to look at the array of envelopes she had spread across the coffee table. "You didn't even give me _one_ for my birthday last year."

Becky poked him under the ribs before snuggling closer. "Well, I wasn't sure which anniversary to use. Our first kiss, our first date, the first—" She cleared her throat deliberately and smiled. "Besides, I gave you lots of things for your birthday. If your heart was set on a card," she teased, "you should have told me and I could have taken some of your gifts back. If you'd rather have a card this year, just let me—"

"No. No, no, no. I'm not complaining." Seth leaned down and kissed her. "Besides, you couldn't exactly take some of those presents back," he added with a chuckle, "so it's all good. So which of these should I open first?"

"Take your pick." The first envelope was a matte off-white, the second a glossy sunshine yellow, and the third a rich emerald green with glittery stars. When Seth went to reach for the yellow one, though, Becky stopped him. "Not that one."

Seth raised his eyebrows. "You said I could pick, but fine." He started to reach for the green one next and snorted when Becky moved to intercept him again. "Okay. I'll pick the white one, _I guess_."

Becky grinned and settled back against him, stretching her legs over his knees. "Good choice."

As soon as he started pulling the card out of the envelope, however, Seth noticed Becky was beginning to squirm. "What? You . . . heavily hinted I should start with this one."

"I know, I know. It's just. . . ." Becky waved a hand irritably. "I mean, I tried to find a nice one, but most of them are so. . . ."She trailed off and muttered under her breath. "Just open it."

"You're ridiculous." Seth kissed her forehead before tugging the card free and setting the envelope aside. One of his cousins used to include confetti and sparkles with the cards she sent, so he was always a bit wary now whenever he opened one. It was just a card, though, with a single red rose on the front, but when he tried to read the pre-printed message inside, he started to frown. "Um . . . babe?"

"I _know_." Then she started laughing so hard that tears came to her eyes. "I didn't realize it was in French until after I bought it. I got so sick of looking at the anniversary section with all the lace hearts and junk, and then I found this one and the front didn't look bad, so I just grabbed it." Then Becky tilted the card towards her and pointed to the opposite side. "I had Kevin and Sami translate it for me, though. I didn't tell them to put the other stuff, I swear."

The actual translation only took a few lines, as far as Seth could tell. The rest of the writing alternated between Kevin and Sami telling Seth how lucky he was to have Becky and that he better treat her well or else. Clearing his throat, Seth shifted his attention to the other side, where Becky wrote her own personal message—in English, mercifully. "Thank you, Becks."

"I wrote that after Kevin and Sami had the card, I promise." Becky was still blushing a bit, though, and she grabbed the green envelope before Seth could choose between the remaining two. "The other two are better. Honest."

"And in English?" Becky looked so sheepish that Seth had to laugh. The green envelope didn't open as neatly as the first, and the paper felt thicker, more hand-made. His suspicions were confirmed when he pulled out the _Harry Potter_ themed card. The front had the three Quidditch goal posts, but the hoops were shaped like hearts instead of circles. _You're a keeper!_ was written in metallic silver ink on the interior. "No pun about scoring? You're slacking, Becks."

Becky just shrugged. "Harry Potter's more your thing than mine. I just thought you'd like the card. A fan on Twitter did a sketch of you that I liked, so when I saw that she had an online shop, I thought I'd peek around." She gave him a lingering kiss and added, "But yes, you're my favourite keeper to score on, or however the sport works."

"And just how many other keepers have you been scoring on?" Seth pulled her into his lap and kissed her, losing track of time until Becky shifted slightly and the empty envelopes crumpled under her knee. "One more card," he pointed out, "and then you can have a shot on goal."

"Sports sex euphemisms are _the worst_ ," Becky groaned, slumping back onto the couch. "And besides, what about presents? Specifically _my_ presents. I mean, if you want to wait for yours, that's your call, but I—"

"I thought I was your favourite present?" Seth grinned as he kissed her cheek and grabbed his last card from the table. "Let's see. So far I've gotten French and threats, and then Harry Potter and sexual innuendo." He flipped the yellow envelope back and forth, holding it up to the light to try peeking through it. "So this will be . . . what?"

Becky rested her head against his shoulder. "Just open it already."

The card in the yellow envelope had a huge starburst on the front in every colour Seth could imagine, and for a moment he wondered if Becky had been with Naomi when she'd picked it out. _Congratulations!_ was scrawled across the star shapes in a font that could only have been developed in the 1980s, which made him reluctant to open the card at all. The message inside puzzled him: the pre-printed blurb read only _You did it!_ , and beneath it Becky had written _Another, please_ , followed by a big heart. Seth glanced from her to the card and back again before giving up. "Unless it's about multiple orgasms, Becks, you lost me."

"In one of your interviews last summer," Becky began, expression somewhere between bashful and nervous, "you were talking about us teaming up and you said something like 'assuming I'm lucky enough to keep her for a full year'." Then it was Seth's turn to squirm a bit: he remembered the interview now and while he stood behind the sentiment, he wished he had worded it better. Becky kissed him softly before he could interject, though. "So congratulations on keeping me for a full year. I know it hasn't always been easy and that I can be . . . difficult to get along with," she added, voice soft and solemn, "but I'm looking forward to the next year."

"Years," Seth corrected, drawing her back onto his lap. "Years, plural. All the years. Every year ever."

" _Every_ year?" Becky's voice was teasing, but her cheeks were going pink. "You might want to rethink that. Fourteen was a rough year for me, and . . . well, you know what happened when I was nineteen—"

"All the years," Seth repeated firmly, wrapping his arms around her tightly. "I love you."

"I love you too. Happy anniversary." The next kiss tangled them up, sending the greeting cards to the floor and tearing the envelopes as they curled around each other. "Upstairs?" she murmured as Seth kissed her collarbone.

"What happened to opening the gifts now?" Bright bags and boxes looked like an abandoned cityscape on the coffee table.

"We must have another anniversary coming up soon," Becky reasoned, sliding off Seth's lap and trying to pull him to his feet. "First road trip or first meal cooked together or something." Her chuckle was low enough to make him shiver. "We burned through a lot of firsts pretty quick at the beginning. . . ."

"We're going to go through a lot of cards if we celebrate _every_ first," Seth pointed out, standing and scooping Becky up, making her yelp. "And Daniel will yell at us for killing so many trees."

"We'll just have to give gifts instead," Becky replied, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "Especially the unreturnable ones. Those are my favourites."

Seth grinned and headed for the stairs. "Mine too."


	8. Isolation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note, 29 March 2020: This is not meant in any way to make light of the COVID-19 health crisis. Please stay safe and take the proper measures to keep yourselves, your loved ones, and your communities safe and healthy. Self-isolation can be difficult for many people, so it's important to look out for each other!

When he felt something warm on the back of his neck as he was preparing for a live chat on Instagram, Seth assumed his hair had fallen out of his bun. It was only when Becky's hands slid down his chest and she kissed his cheek that he figured it out. "Your hands aren't cold," he remarked, turning to the side to kiss her.

Becky laughed. "Gee, I wonder why."

Seth could only grin at that. In some ways, their isolation was like the 'stranded on a desert island' scenario but with modern-day perks. Since they were both symptom-free, they didn't have to be isolated from each other; aside from staying at home as much as possible, it was almost like a mini vacation for the two of them. "Always happy to help," he grinned, pulling on her arm until she was standing in front of him. Unless he was sitting down or she was topping him, he rarely got the chance to look up at her. Looping his arms around her, he pulled her in close. Then he tugged lightly on her waistband and added, "Anything else I can do?"

Becky leaned down to kiss him again. "Cross your fingers and hope I don't burn down the kitchen?" After another kiss, she stepped back and tried to smooth out some of the frizz in his hair. "Going shirtless for the chat? You're just trying to get more likes. Shameless."

"You can return the favour later," he quipped, checking the status on his phone. "I should be about ready to go." Then he motioned to the taped-off areas on the floor. Both he and Becky had been doing some podcast interviews and live chats during isolation, so they had marked off a no-go zone as an equivalent to an office: if you didn't want to be seen or heard, you stayed out.

"Okay. Have fun." Becky kissed him again and retreated to the kitchen. There was a loud clatter soon after, followed by an Irish swear. "Sorry!"

Seth just chuckled. "No worries. Going live in two minutes," he added, adjusting his chair and then all the tech situated on the table. He wasn't sure how much good the live chats were doing for anyone's morale, but it helped to keep some sort of routine. Becky was better at them, at least in his opinion, but she had a live chat with ESPN coming up, so she wanted to save her voice.

Even when it was under the Deadboys Fitness mantle, a lot of the questions skewed to WWE and, by extension, Becky. Whether it was the effects of isolation or simply being asked the same question too often, Seth didn't know, but the constant refrain of "Where's Becky?" got old—and irksome—faster than usual. As if sensing his irritation, Becky made a few extra loud clangs in the kitchen, which made him smile. When he asked how the food was doing, her reply didn't exactly instill him with confidence, but it at least made him smile.

He had barely exited the chat and logged out of Instagram when Becky poked her head around the doorway, looking sheepish. "You know, why don't we order pizza instead? I'm sure some of the smaller places are really struggling and would appreciate the business—"

Leaning back in his chair, Seth laughed. "You burned what you were making, didn't you?"

Becky made some vague gestures. "No. You don't hear the smoke alarm, do you? I just thought it would be nice to help the local economy, you know. . . ."

"Like we did last night," Seth teased, standing up and walking over to her, "and two nights before that?" Wrapping his arms around her, he kissed Becky's cheek. "What happened to supper, babe?"

Becky had her face pressed to his chest, but she muttered something that sounded roughly like _I might have forgotten to add some ingredients._ Eventually she sighed and tilted her head back. "We can order pizza," she repeated, snaking her arms around his neck, "and then I can return the favours later tonight."

" _Favours,_ " Seth echoed pointedly, pressing her back against the doorway. A quick glance into the kitchen revealed a mess, but nothing dangerous or beyond repair. "Meaning more than one?"

"That depends." Becky's laugh stretched her sheepish smile into a grin. "Are we getting pizza?"

Seth rolled his eyes. "Fine. The menu's in the top drawer by the fridge." After a lingering kiss, he added, "About these favours . . . who gets to choose what—"

Becky's grin widened even further as she stepped back and grabbed his phone, calling the pizza parlour's number from memory. "I do, of course."

"Of course you do." Not that Seth minded, really. The enforced isolation gave them precious time together at home, a rare commodity in their lives, and he was just glad that it hadn't happened the year before, when they were just in the early stages of dating. If he had to be stuck with someone for two weeks straight, he couldn't think of a better choice than Becky. He listened to her place their regular order and thank the person on the other end while he cleared off the table. Consolation pizza was worth the laugh that burst out of her mouth, followed by _I didn't burn it, I swear!_

And then there were those favours for later. . . .


	9. Living Together

It shouldn't have felt different, but it did. It had been such a gradual process—relative to their scattered lives, anyway. It was really just a formality of language. They had started with clothes—underwear, to be honest, leaving extra at each other's places so even if they had to wear the same clothes the next day, Becky would have a clean bra on hand. Then it moved into actual clothes, with workout clothes at the beginning and then casual clothes and finally a spare suit for Seth and a simple dress for Becky in case they had to do an impromptu formal interview. The toiletries were mixed in with everything: first it was the particulars, things they used because of allergies or preferences, but soon it was one of everything. After that, it got random. Becky had been aghast to learn that Seth didn't have a toaster and she had made it her mission to find one that fit the decor of his kitchen. Seth, on the other hand, said he needed to practice for UpUpDownDown when he was at her place, so he bought another console, two controllers, and an assortment of games that he rarely played when he was there.

It was the keys that sealed the deal. Normally they just used each other's spares and returned them at the end of their visit, but then Seth had to go and get a key cut for her, even finding a pug keychain to put it on. "Does this mean a real pug is next?" Becky grinned, cradling the key in her palm and stroking it with her thumb.

Seth kissed her softly. "Let's think about poor Kevin. He might not have the energy to put up with a puppy," he pointed out, "and we should really be home more often if we're getting another dog."

 _If WE'RE getting another dog._ Becky's smile just kept growing. Kevin was a sweet dog and liked almost everyone, but he had taken to her almost instantly, which put her at ease. That Seth considered Kevin, one of his few constants over the past few tumultuous years, hers as well meant even more than the key did. "I don't need a puppy," she insisted, "but you're right." Jingling the keys, she tried not to giggle and almost succeeded. "I've got one for you back in Los Angeles," she added. "I just haven't found a good keychain for it yet." It was only partially a lie. She had custom-ordered a keychain for him and it had been slightly delayed. Once again, he beat her to the punch: first _I love you_ , first meeting the parents, and now the first key. Considering that her parents lived an ocean away, she figured she had a pass on that one, but she would have to think about the next logical step and try to beat him to it.

"No rush." Seth wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her head. "Still want pizza for supper? We can call ahead and pre-order and just pick it up on our way home."

"Sure." It had been another part of the process, memorizing his address and phone number for food delivery—or when she wanted to send him a surprise. His cousins had a pizza parlour, so they recognized the number on sight, but she still went through the motions to keep it in her head. "For six, you think?" she asked, holding her hand over her phone as she turned to Seth. When he nodded, she added, "For six, please. We'll be picking it up, so we'll call if we're running late. See you then."

Domestic things like grocery shopping had felt odd even when she was living on her own, simply because she was home so rarely. To share those simple things with Seth made them feel like a treat. He insisted on pushing the cart, of course—though he called it 'driving'—and even though he tried to remove some indulgences Becky added to the haul, she always managed to sneak them back in and hide them under something discreet. "Are we good for beer," he asked as they headed to the check-out, "or should we pick some up?"

"As Stone Cold would say, you can never have enough beer." As Becky helped unload the cart, she marvelled that they were able to do so much without being bothered. In Los Angeles, she was largely able to go about her day uninterrupted, mostly because there were so many bigger Hollywood-grade stars around that she went unnoticed. Davenport was much smaller and since Seth was a local boy done good, she had expected he would have a parade of fans following his every move. For the most part, though, people respected his privacy—and, by extension, hers. Some of the shopkeepers must have figured out they were dating weeks ago, but as far as she knew, no one had leaked it to the dirt sheets or tried to sneak photos of them. "We haven't found his beer here, though, have we?"

Seth shook his head as he paid for the groceries. "Nope. You're his new best friend. You should call him up and complain. I'm sure he'll get right on it."

Their favourite liquor store had plenty of other beers to try, though, and Becky made sure to pick a few Irish ones for Seth to try. "Consider it training. You'll have to have proper Irish beer at least once when we go visit my family," Becky pointed out, "and my brother will want to take you to the pub, and then my dad will probably take you to a pub, and—"

"Why can't we all just go to the same pub?" Seth asked, puzzled. "Wouldn't that make more sense?"

Becky's laugh rang throughout the store. "You've never been in a proper Irish pub, have you? Just wait. It'll make sense when you're there." Once the cashier figured out that she was Irish, Becky found herself answering questions about Dublin for the clerk's upcoming family trip as she paid for the beer. After listing a few less touristy options, she smiled. "You'll love it. It's great. Have a great trip!"

Seth took the beer from her and loaded it into the SUV. "You're so good at that," he marvelled.

Becky was puzzled for a moment. "At picking beer? Well, you know, it's a gift. . . ."

"You know what I mean. Just . . . talking to people. You're a natural. You can relate to anyone." Seth slid into the driver's seat and fastened his seatbelt. They had finished up earlier than expected but he headed to the pizza parlour anyway; if their pizzas weren't ready, he could just chat with his cousins. 

"You're good at it too," Becky assured him, leaning over the console to kiss him. "You just don't see it." She made a mental note to watch him backstage at the next RAW; she could compliment him all she wanted, but he would be more swayed by proof. She had seen him talking with backstage crew countless times, always as equals—almost to the point that if they asked for a photograph or an autograph for one of their kids, he seemed confused by the request. 

"My cousin's pizza place doesn't count," Seth said dryly as they parked. He had been there so often, both as a customer and just to visit, that some people figured he worked there part-time. As soon as they walked in, they were welcomed warmly and one of his cousins waved them over. As they chatted, Becky took the opportunity to watch him when he was unguarded, more Colby than Seth. She loved all the parts of him, but seeing him completely at ease was the most rewarding.

Becky wasn't surprised when he tipped around twice the price of the pizzas, and she held the warm boxes on her lap for the drive home. "So everything's good with your cousins? Business going well?"

Seth nodded, keeping an eye on traffic. "Yep. Everyone's healthy, and they're getting more repeat customers all the time. I'm glad all their hard work is paying off."

"Me too." Becky lifted the lid on her pizza box and breathed in deeply. They didn't have the largest menu, but what they offered was done well. "Does this mean I have to do two workouts tomorrow?"

"It's supporting family _and_ a local business," Seth laughed, "so I'll say no."

"And, I mean . . . the pizzas are right here. It would be wasteful not to eat them, right?" Becky patted the pizza boxes happily. Her giddiness felt like the joy of having a friend sleep over for the weekend, but amplified. Obviously there were the more adult-oriented bonuses, but the main point—spending hours on end with her best friend—was essentially the same. As Seth parked, Becky felt her new keys press against her hip in her pocket. "Can I get the door?" she asked. Learning his alarm code had taken her longer than his phone number or address, but she had it committed to memory now.

Seth's smile was as soft as his gaze, and she wondered if he had been on the fence about giving her the keys. "Sure. You just want to make sure they're not ornamental."

"No!" Becky set the pizza boxes on the hood and ran over to tackle-hug him before he grabbed any of the grocery bags. "Take that back." Narrowing her eyes, she glared up at him. She wasn't sure which of his exes had made him feel bad about doing sweet little gestures, and that was probably a good thing, because she would have been inclined to slap some sense into them. 

Seth sighed and kissed her forehead. "Fine. Go have your ceremonial first opening."

"That's better." Becky kissed him, grabbed a case of beer so he wasn't carrying everything, and dug out her shiny new key before retrieving the pizza boxes and heading to the front door. It was a bit of a juggling act, but she got the door open and managed to disarm the alarm system before it could beep. "Hi, Kevin!" she called out. She couldn't see the small Yorkie, but she always greeted him regardless. Wiping off her shoes, she hurried to the kitchen to drop off the pizza and beer before running back to the front door.

Seth, of course, was trying to carry everything else all at once to avoid a second trip to the SUV, and Becky grabbed most of the grocery bags from him. "Thanks, babe." He kicked the door shut behind him and set the other case of beer down when Kevin raced into the room. "Hey, bud."

Kevin accepted some ear rubs before going over to Becky for a second helping. "Hey, you. Miss us?" Becky crouched down and kissed the top of his head before heading into the kitchen to get out plates. "Eat first, unpack later?" she suggested. 

"Yeah." With Kevin dutifully supervising, Seth brought the groceries and the rest of the beer into the kitchen and set them on the counter. It was quiet, ordinary work, but Becky still loved it, watching Seth comfortable in his element. She cut a few slices of each pizza and loaded the plates before heading into the living room. Kevin settled comfortably by Seth's regular spot, sneaking across for some attention from Becky only when Seth didn't appear immediately. As soon as he came in the room, however, Seth started laughing. "See? You don't need a pug. Kevin's already switched allegiances."

"Never." Becky waited until he had sat down and grabbed his plate to snuggle closer. On the rare nights that she slept alone, pillows never felt quite right because she had gotten so used to resting her head on his chest, listening to his pulse and his breathing. She ate her pizza slowly, listening to Seth talk about his cousins and what their future plans for the pizza parlour were. When she looked up and saw her keys on the entry table, it truly hit her for the first time. "We're living together."

"Yeah." For a moment, Seth looked a little dazed too, but the expression fractured into uncertainty. "I mean, if you want to. We don't have to call it anything—"

Becky grabbed his plate and gave him a long kiss. "Of course I want to. I wouldn't have left any of my good bras here if I didn't." It was meant to be a joke, but the enormity of it gave her pause. In some ways, it was easier for wrestlers who were dating to live together; they might never see each other otherwise. But she knew it was still a big step, and since they hadn't even been dating for half a year and it still felt so _right_ , she knew it meant something more. She had always felt comfortable in Seth's house, even when they were just friends. The transition from friends to lovers had almost been deceptively easy, and now she couldn't imagine being with anyone else.

"You mean that wasn't so I'd finally learn what size you take?" Seth laughed somewhat breathlessly. 

"Nice try." Becky kissed him once more before handing his plate back and grabbing her own from the table. "Though it's not a bad idea. It would mean you wouldn't have to do the hand test." With her free hand, she mimed grabbing a breast. "Tip: Clerks really don't like that. I had to buy an emergency bra for Charlotte after one of her surgeries and I had no clue what her new size was and she wasn't answering her phone, so I was trying to guess."

They ate their way through their pizzas, sharing the occasional crust with Kevin, and then settled in for their movie with a few beers, stretched out together on the couch. "You keep looking over at your keys. You're bringing them to bed with you, aren't you?" Seth asked as the movie credits began to roll.

"They'll be under my pillow," Becky said defensively. "You won't even know they're there."

Seth looked like he was about to make a joke, but he kissed her instead, letting his hand linger on his neck. "I'm glad they make you happy."

"They do." It was probably a weird thing to be happy about, but Becky didn't care. After so many weeks of being careful, it was nice to finally be more open about their relationship. 

Standing, Seth held out his hand to her. "Then let's go find a good spot for them under your pillow, and after that we'll find a good spot for us."

Becky grinned, downing the rest of her beer and setting the bottle down. The coffee table had a few bottles and cans on it, but those could wait until morning; Kevin knew to leave them alone. Now that she and Seth were officially living together, that meant that his bed was now _theirs_ , so they would have to rechristen it all over again.


	10. The First 'I Love You' - Seth's POV

_Actions speak louder than words._ Seth agreed with the saying in part, but there were some things that just needed to be said. He and Becky had crossed the thresholds between 'hanging out' to 'seeing each other' to 'dating' in short order, so it was easy to lose track of how quickly his life was changing. Since they had been friends for years, it was almost hard to chart when his feelings started to change. It wasn't that long ago that the thought of kissing Becky wouldn't have even crossed his mind. She was a good friend, a CrossFit partner, a co-worker—and he had learned some of the perils of seeing a fellow wrestler. But then they had kissed and just like that, he was _done_. He hadn't told her that at the time, of course—he didn't even fully realize it himself—but it hasn't taken him long to realize it, and with that realization came a huge sense of relief. After so many ups and downs in his career and his life in general, Becky made him feel like he was on an even keel at last.

That made deciding that much harder. Their relationship was going so well, and their friends and family were supportive; maybe he should just be content with that and not rock the boat. It brought another saying to mind: _A ship in harbour is safe, but that is not what ships are built for._ He wanted more—more than he thought he would ever want from a relationship again—and that wouldn't happen if he did nothing. Knowing what to say was the easy part, however; knowing where and when was another story completely.

He would have felt more comfortable in Iowa, on his home turf, but WWE's schedule had them closer to Becky's place in Los Angeles. _She loves it here,_ he reminded himself as they walked along a strangely quiet section of beach. In his experience, Los Angeles was always bustling, maybe even more than New York City, but they had managed to find a stretch of beach with only a few other walkers, and most of them were more concerned with getting the perfect angle for their selfies or keeping their dogs out of the ocean. It was a bit surreal, since he was something of a celebrity in Davenport. In California, however, there would always be a bigger star.

"Thanks for coming with me," Becky said, snapping him out of his reverie. "I know you find L.A, too busy. . . ."

"I'm just not used to it yet, that's all." Seth almost cursed himself for adding the _yet_ , but after catching a quick glimpse of Becky's small, bashful smile, he was grateful for the slip. "Just like you're not used to quiet."

Becky laughed. "Probably because I'm not quiet." Her hand curled around his. "I think I'd miss the ocean more than the noise, though. That and the weather. I've gotten used to the warmth. I don't know what to do in a proper winter anymore."

"We'll have to get you a proper parka, that's all." Glancing around, Seth realized they were all alone; the nearest people, a couple of dog walkers, were barely visible, and since the beach was getting rockier, many people didn't venture out that far at all. "Want to sit for a bit? Watch the sunset?" They still had to drive back to her place, but it wouldn't be truly dark for a while yet.

"Sure." Becky waited until he sat, though, and she nudged his knee, smiling when Seth spread his legs enough for her to sit between them. He'd quickly learned that she loved cuddling, and her favourite way to sit was leaning back against him. It made her warm and he could snuggle with her, so it was a perfect fit. "I never did this often enough when I was in Florida for NXT. I really should have. I've lived in so many places that touch an ocean, and the water never looks the same."

With nothing to block it, the sunset was almost painful to watch, but the colours sweeping across the sky made it worth it. Pressing some light kisses to her neck, Seth shut his eyes. _This. Now._ It was the same impulse behind their first kiss on Royal Rumble weekend, and now he knew better than to question it. "Hey." Once he had her attention, Seth turned Becky slightly to face him, and before she could complain about losing contact with his chest—and thus all that precious warmth—he kissed her so slowly he wondered if the beach had turned to quicksand. When he pulled back, he waited until she had her eyes open: he wanted to remember everything about the moment, from the look in her eyes to the colour of the sunset. "I love you."

Her eyes didn't widen that much, but it was a roller coaster ride watching the emotions flow across her face: surprise first and then a hint of apprehension that softened into a doubt before blossoming into hesitant joy. "I—"

"You don't have to," he said quickly. There were few things worse than having _I love you_ parroted at you because the other person thought it was what you wanted to hear. He didn't think Becky would say if she didn't mean it, but for the moment he was happy to bask in the wonder in her eyes. "I just wanted you to know. I . . . I know we've been cautious and neither of us really wanted to date another wrestler, but . . . I love you. And thank you for taking a chance on us."

"I love you too." Her voice broke a little in the middle of it, and Becky twisted around in his lap to kiss him before resting her head on his shoulder. "I don't even care that Iowa's landlocked. I can see the ocean when I go home to visit my family."

Laughing, Seth stroked her back, loving how she melted into him. She had to portray the bad-ass persona of The Man on television, but when they were alone, she was quite content to curl up with him for hours just talking. "I'm not taking you away from your ocean."

"But your mom's there and your cafe and Black and Brave. . . ."

"We don't have to spell everything out today or tomorrow or any time soon," Seth reminded her. "We can talk about any of that whenever you want, just as long as you know I have no plans of going anywhere."

Becky chuckled, the rich sound reverberating through his collarbones. "So we're sitting here on this beach forever then? Probably should have brought a blanket. It gets chilly as soon as the sun's fully down." She gestured around idly and Seth saw that everyone else had left, even the dog walkers, and the sun was only halfway to the horizon.

"If you want to," Seth teased, "I would. If I have a say in the matter, I'll vote for going back to your place, but that's me." He tightened his arms around her and kissed her again. Now that he had finally said the words that had been spinning around his head for weeks, he felt both lighter and more grounded.

"How about a coffee stop first," Becky suggested, "and then my place?" She snuck her fingers just under the hem of his shirt and laughed when he flinched.

"Those definitely need warming up." Seth grabbed her hands and brought them to his mouth, blowing on them a bit before kissing her knuckles. After a long, sweet silence, he stood and helped her to her feet. "Let's go." He slung an arm around her shoulders and kept her close as they walked back to where he had parked.

"Thank you," she said softly, hopping up and kissing his cheek. "For saying it. I . . . I wanted to, but I worried that it was too soon and I didn't want to freak you out. . . ."

Seth wanted to say he wouldn't have freaked out, but he knew that wasn't true—it was just that it would have been in an entirely positive way, in pure delight. He understood her sense of hesitation, though. The early days of a relationship could be so touchy, and more than anything, he didn't want to screw up anything with Becky. It might have been early yet, but he was convinced she was the one; he might keep that to himself for just a little while longer, though. He didn't want to make Becky feel rushed, but he was also savouring all those intoxicating firsts. They were so heady that he needed to let them settle first before he could even begin to share how they felt.

"I understand," he said at last, hoping he hadn't taken too long to reply. "I worried about that too, but I just got to the point where I needed to say it, and I thought it was better somewhere like here, a place with a bit of privacy. Otherwise I probably would have blurted it out backstage," he added with an awkward chuckle, "and that wouldn't have been very good." Their relationship wasn't officially public yet, though he was sure more than a few people had already figured out they were dating. Hunter and the McMahons knew simply for business reasons—happy couples tended to be placed on the same roster, while separating ones were kept apart if possible—and most of the RAW roster had caught on pretty quickly.

"This was much better," Becky assured him, cuddling closer. "It was perfect."

Looking down at her, Seth saw the same joy in her face, softening her smile and her gaze and making her look the slightest bit giddy. Just knowing he had that effect on her was like a ridiculous high, and their relationship had barely begun. He wasn't sure how he'd be able to handle if it expanded to more, but he wanted more than anything to find out.


	11. Becky's birthday, 2019

_And unlike Seth Rollins, I don't need much time to think._ Had she said his name during her promo on RAW somehow differently than usual? Becky didn't think so, but she had watched the clip so many times since Monday that her words no longer made sense. Running on too much adrenaline and not enough sleep—both courtesy of Royal Rumble the night before—was bad enough. But somehow over the course of the Royal Rumble weekend, she and Seth had kissed and every time she tried to pinpoint _how_ or _why_ , her brain shuffled a new possibility into the mix. Had he helped her with the bags in the hotel? Had they both just learned they were slated to win their respective Rumble matches? They'd known each other for almost six years, so what had suddenly changed? Every time she tried to home in on the moment, the memory skittered away from her. _Maybe the 'how' and the 'why' don't matter._ Her inner voice sounded suspiciously like her father's. _Maybe it's enough that it happened._

It didn't help that they hadn't really discussed it either. When he approached her on Monday night after her segment, she thought that's what he wanted to talk about, but he asked about her birthday instead. Somehow in the chaos of winning the Royal Rumble— _And kissing Seth!_ her mind helpfully added—Becky had mostly forgotten about it. Normally she would be spending the day with Charlotte, but she had plans, so a proper party with the Horsewomen was happening on the weekend instead— _extending the celebration_ as Seth had diplomatically put it. Aside from chatting with family on the phone, Becky realized she didn't have any plans at all. Having a January birthday often meant getting lost in the shuffle of a new year and people trying to maintain new habits and resolutions. She told Seth that the weekend was like an early birthday present, and she kept telling herself she meant winning the Rumble match and getting a title shot at WrestleMania—and she hoped that's what he thought she meant—but more and more she was adding the kiss to the list too.

Maybe she couldn't remember the exact setting or the context, but the memories of Seth's lips on hers and the way his fingers curled against her back were vivid beyond belief. As good as it had felt, it made her gut twist too: Seth was a friend—a good friend, an incredible source of inspiration and advice—and she didn't want to lose that over a kiss. That didn't seem likely, though. When Seth learned that she had no big plans for her birthday, his expression was somewhere between hopeful and dismayed. "Well, is there anything you wanted to do? I've got an interview in the morning," he had added quickly, almost as if he didn't want to seem too eager, "but if there was something you had your heart set on . . . I mean, it's your birthday, right? You should get to do something you want to do."

Since Becky had still had the kiss dominating her thoughts at that point, she could only be grateful that she didn't blurt out the first thing that came to mind—or the second, or even the third. "Coffee's good," she had blurted. "I mean, if you're going to have your own coffee shop, you must know something about good coffee. . . ." And then Seth had joked that Cesaro would never let him hear the end of it if he hadn't learned anything from all his lessons, and he offered to take her to the temporary location of his upcoming coffee shop where the managers were busy drafting menus, training the baristas, and making plans.

Coffee. That was all it was going to be. A birthday coffee and catching up and checking out a friend's new business venture. Neither of them had mentioned the kiss or uttered the word _date_. When he had picked her up from her hotel, they bounced between chatting and stretches of silence that, rather than being awkward, were far more comfortable than they had any right to be. Only the managers were at the temporary location when they arrived, and they welcomed her warmly. She would never remember how to make foam panda faces or what all the different pouring methods entailed, but it was still fun to watch. After the demonstrations, one of the managers made Becky and Seth their chosen drinks and then the two of them sat at a small table by the window; there were a few different styles of tables scattered around the otherwise minimalist space, and she guessed they were trying to settle on a style of decor.

"So how's your birthday coffee?" Seth asked, clinking his cup against hers. 

"It's great."And it was; she didn't need to lie to spare his feelings, because it truly was delicious. But she couldn't elaborate—didn't trust herself to, more like—because she had noticed something else: Seth hadn't taken his eyes off her since they'd sat down. Which also meant, of course, that she hadn't taken her eyes off _him_. . . .

"What do you want to do after coffee?" Seth asked, leaning back in his chair.

Becky finally thought of a birthday wish: for Seth to quit using the word _want_ , especially when he wouldn't stop looking at her. "I don't know. I never really thought that far ahead, I guess. I was so focussed on the Rumble, on Asuka. . . ."

"I'd say we could take Kevin for a walk," Seth joked, "but he likes the cold about as much as you do."

"The curse of having a winter birthday," Becky laughed, wrapping her hands around her coffee mug for warmth. "Yeah, I'll definitely vote for something indoors."

Seth finally dropped his gaze to his cup, but it didn't help much; it just meant Becky was distracted by his lips instead. "Well, depending on when you want to be back at your hotel—and if you want to, that is. . . ." There was that pesky word again. _Want_. It was stronger, more fraught somehow, when she was watching his lips form it. "We could go back to my place and watch a movie or something."

That sounded about as convincing—and as likely—as it had when she was a teenager, but her response wasn't much different either: "Sure, why not?" Some of her resolve faltered on their way to his SUV, though, and she started to fidget with her purse strap. "We should probably talk about what happened first, don't you think?"

Becky cursed herself for the vague wording, but she figured it could only go a few ways: Seth could ask _about what?_ which would imply the kiss meant nothing to him, he could brush off the kiss like it was a spur-of-the-moment thing, or he could assume it meant more was on the way. "You mean the kiss, right?" he asked, his tone hesitant. "You've been pretty vocal in the past about not wanting to date wrestlers, so I figured you just wanted to forget about it." He pressed his lips together, but his gaze very clearly said _Unless you don't?_

"I . . . don't know. We've been friends for so long," Becky replied. "I don't want to ruin that or make things awkward backstage. . . ."

Seth took a few steps closer. "Aren't you just a little bit curious, though?"

_More than a little._ She had been thinking about the kiss ever since the weekend, and it had been years since such a small thing had made her so confused. So many of the awkward just-met moments could be avoided entirely; she and Seth already had years of history behind them. She already trusted him, respected him, knew him; what better foundation could she ask for? "Of course, but . . . maybe we should try just hanging out for a bit, see how things go. . . ?"

" _Hanging out_ ," Seth repeated with a chuckle that made Becky blush a bit. Yeah, he clearly believed that about as much as she did. "Well, since it's your birthday, can we _hang out_ at a restaurant for a birthday dinner and go from there?"

"I'd like that." After Seth listed off a few places that would have good options for her, Becky chose one at random and hopped into the passenger seat while her knees were still supporting her. _Oh, this is a bad idea,_ half of her mind said, while the other part replied, _Is it, though?_ The dinner flew by and other than Becky watching her wording a little more than usual, it felt like a regular meal with a friend. It just happened to be a friend she'd kissed and quite honestly wanted to kiss again. 

After a delicious birthday dessert—mercifully not accompanied by singing wait staff—they were left wondering what to do again. "You haven't tried _Game of Thrones_ yet, have you?" Seth asked as they got back in the SUV. "The last season starts in April, so you have plenty of time to catch up."

_That sounds like a commitment,_ Becky thought, but she kept it to herself as they drove. She knew he enjoyed the show and realistically, there was no way he could subject her to that many episodes before taking her back to her hotel. _If you make it back to the hotel,_ her mind teased. "I'll give it a go," she finally said aloud, mostly because she had let the silence go too long and she had to say something. "There's dragons in it, right?"

"Not until later, but yeah." On the way back to his house, Seth gave her a brief overview of characters and their connections, and Becky did her best to follow, but she was more enthused with watching him as he explained. When he got excited about something, his eyes were luminous and his accent changed a bit. By the time they reached his place, Becky was fairly certain he had already told her everything that happened in season one, but she didn't mind; he had been going through a rough time recently, so to see him so happy, so engaged with something, was worth listening to an extended recap.

Becky tried to focus on the show. She truly did. With Seth beside her, though, his arm snaked behind her shoulders without any attempt at subtlety, her resolve eventually broke. "Fuck it, it's my birthday," she said, and turned to kiss him. She had her hands on his shoulders before she could second-guess herself and her lips on his before he could ask her what she meant.

Their first kiss was better, but it always would be, simply because it was the instigator, the one that changed everything. This one, private and comfortable with a bit of history behind it, was lovely too. Seth gently pulled her onto his lap so she wasn't sitting at such an odd angle and the show droned on in the background, resolutely ignored. "Happy birthday," he murmured when they both finally needed to breathe. Even then, their lips were still touching. "If that's what you wanted for your birthday, all you had to do was say so."

Becky slid a hand up to his neck, feeling his pulse race against her palm. "I'm not sure that one fit quite right. Maybe I should take it back."

Seth's hand rested along her lower back, fingers twitching. "No refunds, just exchanges." His voice was still a bit raspy and it made her shiver.

"So many _rules_." Becky couldn't meet his gaze, not when they were that close, so she glanced off to the side. "Is this really something you think we should start?"

"Is it really something you want to stop?" Seth countered. He didn't shove her off his lap, but he moved his hands to a more neutral position after shutting off his entertainment unit. 

She could have moved away at any time, but she lingered, lulled by the sound of her breathing and his. They had known each other for over half a decade; why was she suddenly lusting after him now? "No." Later she would think of that single word as the biggest answer she had ever given so succinctly, but at the time, it was just small and honest and tinged with the slightest bit of desperation. It had been a while since she had wanted someone so vividly, and to have him _right there_ , just a kiss away. . . .

"Me neither." Seth kissed her cheek softly. "So what do you want to do, birthday girl?"

_Oh, what a loaded question._ It didn't help that Seth would more than likely be game for any answer she gave. Taking a deep breath, Becky inched closer and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "Can we just hang out?"

Seth chuckled and slid his hands back up to her waist, letting them take their time getting there. "Does this count as _hanging out_?" he asked, kissing her slowly. 

Becky gave a brief nod, careful not to break the kiss. "It does," she murmured.

"Okay then." Seth pulled her in closer, their bodies fitting together perfectly. "Then let's hang out."

Ever since Becky had started working, she had always got herself a birthday present. This was easily the best one.


	12. Becky's birthday, 2020

There was a whole language to flowers and while Becky wasn't fluent in it, she used to know bits and pieces, mostly because Charlotte always psychoanalyzed the bouquets she got from her boyfriends. Looking at the roses Seth had for her, though, all that knowledge went out the window. Red roses meant love, Becky was pretty sure of that, but there was supposed to be something with the number of them as well. "They're beautiful," she said, going on tiptoe to kiss him. "Thank you."

"Happy birthday, babe." Seth caught her around the waist when she went to step back and stole a few more kisses before letting her go. "I'm just glad I don't have to hide you away like I did last year." Her birthday had been just days after Royal Rumble last year—and just days after their first kiss. She still joked that it was the best birthday present she'd gotten for herself; Seth usually replied that it was so good she had to have it early.

"I don't seem to remember you complaining," she replied with a grin. Since their relationship hadn't been public yet—it wasn't even a relationship then, since they had still been in the 'just hanging out' phase of denial—they'd been forced to keep things low-key and quiet, which meant private. For them, that translated to a lot of kissing.

Seth took a quick picture of her with the flowers before kissing her again. "Only because I didn't have to share you." Then he smiled, the soft, lopsided grin she loved the most. "Now I get to show you off and _that,_ " he added, grabbing her left hand and kissing her knuckles just above her engagement ring, "says I don't have to share you."

As much as Becky liked their private time—which now extended quite a bit beyond kissing—she had to admit that she liked the public aspect too. Since they were well-established friends, they hadn't done too much hiding in their early days of dating; they just had to be careful about where they were when they kissed. Now that they could be more open, it meant they could go out almost anywhere—as long as they didn't mind potentially being stopped by fans. There wouldn't be much chance of that on the plane Seth had chartered, though, and after such a whirlwind year, it was a rare delight to just enjoy the day as it unfolded. "You'd better be careful," she cautioned after they took a few selfies while on the plane. "You're setting the bar for future birthday gifts pretty high." She smiled as she looked down at the photo, wondering if she should post it. It would likely set off a string of questions about comments about the Mile High Club, but if Charlotte and Andrade could post pictures of themselves literally in bed, then surely she and Seth could share little bits of their lives too. The backlash from their joined storyline had mostly died down, aside from the persistent naysayers who would complain no matter what they said or did.

"Good thing you have a lot of birthdays coming up then," Seth replied, holding her close. "Gives me lots of chances to outdo myself." Their Royal Rumble weekend this year hadn't been quite as immense as last year's, so it was easier to find the time and space to be together.

"You're not going to be able to top the ring," Becky teased, "so just quit while you're ahead."

"Never going to happen." And for that day, at least, Seth was right. The private plane was the biggest part of the day, but he filled her birthday from morning to night with things she loved, large and small. She had found a Pearl Jam single she didn't have at a used record store and adored it just as much as the beautiful bracelet Seth had bought her to complement her engagement ring

For Becky, though, it was less about what they were doing—although she had enjoyed every minute of the day—and more about who she was spending the time with. By the time they returned to their hotel, they were both exhausted in the best possible way. _Well, SECOND best,_ Becky allowed, resting her head against Seth's shoulder as the elevator took them up to their floor. He had reserved the penthouse suite so she could have a stunning view of the ocean. They had been out for sunset, but the skyline would still be lovely for a few hours. "You're the best husband ever," she declared.

Seth laughed as they stepped out the elevator and headed to their door. "How many have you had?"

"Just the one," Becky smiled. "I'm getting it right the first time."

"Lucky me." Seth set down all their shopping bags before shutting the door behind them. "So you had a good day?"

"I had the best day. Thank you." Becky gave him a long kiss, almost tripping over one of the bags. "You set the bar awfully high for your birthday, though. Not sure I would have thought of a plane."

Seth picked her up and walked them both into the sitting area in front of the large waterfront window. "May's a long way off. You have plenty of time to think." With a wicked grin, he sat on the sectional couch and held her on his lap, both of them facing the water.

Becky turned around carefully and straddled him instead. "I like this view better." She almost laughed, thinking about how agonizing it had been when they were trying to be subtle and not touch each other constantly. Nearly a year later, neither of them really care who saw anymore, but the urge to kiss him every time she looked at him hadn't dimmed a bit.

A slight blush tinged Seth's cheeks, but his smile was still impish. "That's good, because you're going to be stuck with it for a few decades."

Their kiss was soft and slow, tangled up like bed sheets after a long night of good sex, and their bodies were pressed so close the button on Becky's pants left an indent in Seth's skin. She traced it with a fingertip when they stopped to breathe. "So what's on the agenda for tomorrow?" she asked, eyes fluttering shut as Seth started a trail of soft kisses down her neck. "A submarine to Alcatraz?"

Seth made a soft humming sound against her neck as his hands started to undo her top. "I don't know. Today was pretty busy, don't you think?" He raised his head enough to kiss her again. "I was thinking we could just hang out. . . ."

"Hang out, huh?" It was almost a euphemism for them now, referring back to their earliest stage of dating when they had been trying to resist—or at least plausibly deny—the attraction between them. Rather than admitting they were dating, they would say they were just 'hanging out'—except _hanging out_ started to include a lot of texting, teasing, and kissing. "But we hang out all the time."

"But we're so good at it." Seth pulled her in close again. "Seriously, babe, whatever you want to do tomorrow, I'm game. I'm just glad I got to spend your birthday with you."

"You're getting too good at the sappy answers," Becky teased, reaching behind his head and tugging at his bun. "We could try out the hot tub again. . . ."

"Or we could do that right now. You know, keep tomorrow open for hanging out and all." Kissing, they rose and stumbled across the room, undoing buttons and laces on their way over to the hot tub. It had a view of the waterfront as well, but they wouldn't be looking at anything but each other as soon as they got in the tub—if they managed to get there. Seth was so busy trying to push Becky's pants down that it took him four tries to get the hot tub started.

Becky just managed to untangle her top from her hair before Seth stepped into the hot tub and pulled her in. "Let me guess," she laughed, straddling his lap again. "You didn't make any plans for tomorrow, did you?"

"No." His hair was already starting to frizz, but somehow it just made Seth look even sweeter. "I was just glad we had some time off by your birthday and I figured with our luck, one of us would get scheduled for an interview or something, so I tried to fit everything in on the one day."

"It was a wonderful day," Becky assured him, smoothing back his hair. "It was perfect. I don't need anything else."

Seth dug his fingers into her ass and pulled her down onto him, making her breath hitch. "Not even this?" he teased, thrusting up into her.

Becky licked a few water droplets off his shoulder as she started to rock her hips. "I thought I got this year round. That's what you said before. There's video evidence, you know."

"Really? Guess I'll have to keep my word, then." They kept the first round sweet and slow, letting the hot water soothe their muscles as they moved. When they eventually got out of the hot tub and made their way back to the couch, though, they were both too aroused to worry about things like towels or blankets, and they fucked while the reflections and city lights played off their skin. When a helicopter flew overhead and Becky tensed up, Seth sucked on her breast hard enough that she knew it would leave a mark. "It's fine. The windows are tinted. They can't see in."

"I know," Becky panted, still feeling the whirring thunder of the helicopter deep in her chest. "I just—"

"Habit. I know." Seth started moving faster, hoping to make Becky forget the interruption, and it wasn't long before her scream of delight drowned out the noise of the receding helicopter.

"Happy birthday to me," she said softly, eyes blissfully shut. When Seth gently helped her up and shuffled them over to the bed, she saw all the damp spots on the couch and made a note to leave Housekeeping a very generous tip. 

"What did you get yourself this year?" Seth sprawled on the bed and pulled her down beside him. "I forgot to ask before."

Still light-headed from the last orgasm, Becky laughed. "I think I forgot too. Maybe I'll find something I like tomorrow. You know, when we're not hanging out." She curled up beside Seth and rested her head on his chest. "Maybe I should go get a marriage license." It was worth it just to feel how still his body went beneath hers. "Kidding. I know we want our families there."

"I know, but. . . ." Seth's hand was warm and heavy on her back, coaxing her to move further up so they could kiss. "We could do something small just for us. We're already calling each other husband and wife anyway. . . ."

"We can wait," Becky insisted, kissing him tenderly. "We could go to the Antique Vibrator Museum instead. Imagine what the gift shop must be like."

Seth laughed. "Let's decide tomorrow."

Becky pointed to the small bedside clock. "It is tomorrow."

"Then _later_ tomorrow." Seth rolled Becky onto her back and started kissing her neck again. "We haven't finished celebrating your birthday yet."

"When you said _all day_ ," Becky said, sighing as his hands ran up her thighs, "you really meant it, didn't you?"

"You said it was the best day," Seth reminded her, kissing his way down to her hip. "The best day deserves to be capped off by the best night, right?" And he made sure it was.


	13. Coffee During COVID

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: This is loosely set in July 2020, but we all know time has been pretty relative this year.

"What's taking the coffee so long?" Normally Becky thought coffee from Seth's cafe was worth the wait, but pregnancy was putting a serious dent in her patience. One of the first things she had looked into when she and Seth had decided to start trying for a baby was if she could still have coffee. Cutting back to one cup a day had been hard, so she made sure the coffee she did have was the good stuff. "We should have just gone to the cafe ourselves. . . ."

"Delivery's fine," Seth replied, kissing the top of her head. They were curled up on the couch and Becky had almost dozed off twice while waiting for the coffee—and a little surprise Seth was trying to keep secret—to arrive. "You didn't have a great sleep last night." There was also the increasing problem of people trying to sneak pictures of Becky and her growing belly, so between that and taking health precautions, it was often easier and safer for her to just stay home. "I asked them to send their second-cutest delivery boy, so that's probably what's taking so long."

Becky sat up a bit and poked Seth in the chest. "I only get the _second_ -cutest?"

Grinning, Seth leaned down and kissed her. "Well, obviously, you'd say _I'm_ the cutest, but I'm here, so you'll have to make do with the second-cutest one." The isolation and reduced activity were starting to take their toll on Becky, who was used to being so busy and involved, so he hoped the surprise would brighten her day a bit. It was already looking like it might be difficult for her family to fly over in December, so they were trying to stay connected with as many friends and family members as possible.

"I suppose. You could have gone and brought back coffee, though," Becky pointed out, her eyes drifting shut again. "And then—" She opened one eye when the doorbell rang. "Are you getting it?"

"Yep." Seth eased off the couch, leaving Becky to curl up against the pillow when he went to the door. He knew who it should be, but he still checked the security monitor before he opened the door. "Hey, thanks for bringing the coffee."

"Small price for getting to see how the mama-to-be's doing." The drink tray with three steaming cups was followed by a familiar tatttooed arm. "Hey, Becks."

"Roman!" Becky lurched to her feet and shuffled over—she wasn't waddling yet, at least not on a regular basis—to hug him. Given that he had twin newborns, she knew he wouldn't risk coming to visit unless he was healthy. As she hugged Roman, she wagged a finger at Seth. "You lied."

"Nah. He was keeping my visit a surprise." Roman kissed the top of her head. "I had some business to attend to in Chicago, so I called him and asked if I could stop in for a visit."

"Not that!" Becky was laughing as she stepped back, making sure to pluck her coffee from the tray before Seth could steal it. "He said he asked for the _second_ -cutest delivery boy to bring the coffee."

Seth raised an eyebrow. "What are you getting at?"

Roman laughed, closing the door behind him and kicking off his shoes. "I have the coffee, bro. That automatically bumps up my cuteness level. Now we're even."

Taking the drink tray from Roman, Seth shook his head. "Not anymore."

Becky hugged Roman again while Seth took the other two coffees out of the tray. "It's so good to see you! You and Galina and the kids are all still good?"

"Everyone's good. Little bored, little restless, but good." Stepping back, Roman glanced down at her belly and smiled. "After two sets of twins, I can forget that baby bumps can be smaller this far along. How the pregnancy been so far? Getting any rest yet?" Since Roman and Galina had plenty of experience with kids, Becky and Seth had been asking them all sorts of questions over the past few weeks, so Roman knew most of Becky's symptoms and complaints as well as Seth did.

"I've been sleeping better," Becky began, leading him into the living room, "not that you'd know it from last night. And food's finally staying down, which is a relief." Then she tugged on his sleeve. "I want to see your new tattoo." Roman had showed it off during one of their video chats, but it wasn't the same as seeing it in person.

Seth raised an eyebrow. "You remember that you have a husband right here, yes?" He was laughing as he set the coffees on the table. "So, you know, maybe asking another guy to take his shirt off in our living room—"

"Fiance," Roman corrected with a wink. "She's still got time to consider her options. I think I have a few single cousins left, Becks, if you're interested. You could marry into the Bloodline, vacation out on the islands—that's gotta be better than winters in Iowa. . . ."

"When you put it that way. . . ." Becky tugged on Seth's arm until he sat down beside her, and she kissed him softly. "But I have Kevin to think about, you know."

Seth just shook his head and sighed. "Remember what I used to say about missing the days when my friends didn't get along with my fiancee?" Then, trying not to laugh, he waved at Roman. "Kidding. Go ahead. Make her happy. I've learned not to argue with the pregnant woman."

Becky gave his shoulder a gentle shove. "Like you don't want to see it too."

"Already have." Seth's smile held just a hint of smugness; he knew how much teasing he could get away with before Becky would get irritated. "He stopped in at Black and Brave this morning. That's when we came up with the coffee plan."

"Are you even paying attention, Becks," Roman asked with a laugh, "or am I just taking off clothes for the fun of it?"

Becky elbowed Seth in the ribs as she straightened up. "I'm looking, I'm looking!"

"You don't have to sound quite so excited about it." Seth still pressed a kiss to her cheek, though. Even when RAW and SmackDown had been on the condensed filming schedules, he had still been able to see quite a few of his friends backstage, something he knew Becky missed desperately.

"I wanted to make sure it was good and healed before SummerSlam," Roman explained, pulling his shirt over his head and crouching down by where Becky sat. "That's when we're aiming for my return, but we'll see. I know Vince would like me back full-time before Seth's got his time off, so it'll have to be soon." He half-turned and mimed punching Seth in the jaw. "It's going to be weird, not seeing that mug on TV. Poor JoJo's already missing you in the worst way, Becks. Galina tried explaining how tough pregnancy is on the body and JoJo's seen her pregnant twice now—with twins, no less—but she's still convinced you'll be back at the Rumble and you'll be friends with Charlotte again and somehow win the tag belts."

"That's . . . a very specific list." Realistically, Becky knew she would likely be out for at least half of the next year, but she was trying to keep her options open. "At this point, Eva Marie will probably come back and get a tag belt before I ever get my hands on one." She traced the edges of Roman's new tattoo lightly. It was months old now, but it still looked crisp and new. "It's gorgeous."

"Like I said," Roman chuckled as he pulled his shirt back into place, "I'm pretty sure I still have some single cousins left if you want me to ask around."

Seth threw a pillow at him. "Next thing you're gonna be offering to break up Jey and his wife so Becky can have Naomi as a sister-in-law."

"Are you kidding? Once that baby's born," Roman replied, pointing to Becky's belly, "good luck getting rid of Naomi. She'll be offering to help decorate the nursery and pick out clothes and. . . ." He paused when he saw Becky struggling not to laugh. "She already has, hasn't she?"

"Little bit, yeah. I'm just glad she hasn't sent anything in neon yet." Becky patted her belly and smiled. She was trying not to be one of those women who constantly cradled her arms around her bump, but there were still days—ones where she wasn't tired or sick or some combination of the two—where she couldn't quite believe she'd gotten pregnant so quickly.

"Bet you wouldn't argue with some of those glow shoes, though." Roman sat on the other side of Becky, waiting until she settled back against Seth to pick up his coffee. "For the baby, that is."

Becky stuck out her tongue. "Why can't I have a pair too? Maryse does matchy-matchy things with her girls all the time." She paused a wagged a finger at Roman. "And no, that's not a gender reveal." She and Seth were still deciding if they wanted to know in advance. In some ways, it would be nice, but the element of surprise was lovely too. Plus Becky wouldn't want any daughter of hers to be subjected to an onslaught of pink, frills, and dresses just because she was a girl; Marek had already bought some Chicago Bears onesies for the baby, so the kid was going to have an eclectic wardrobe no matter what.

"No pressure. Having a baby during a pandemic is stressful enough as it is." Roman reached over and patted Becky's knee. "Galina said to remind you that she's happy with talk to you about pregnancy stuff any time. She wasn't carrying the twins through as much of the virus, but she learned a lot."

"Not least of which is that twins _definitely_ run on your side of the family." Seth shook his head in wonderment. "Two sets, man. Does JoJo feel outnumbered yet?"

Roman shook his head. "She's been pretty good, for the most part. You're always going to have some hurt feelings here and there, and with five kids, one is always going to feel like they're not getting enough attention or whatever. But she's great with all her brothers." Then he chuckled as he took a long sip of coffee. "Man, did the two of you pick a hell of a year to have a baby."

Seth tossed a pillow at him over Becky's head, but Roman easily batted it aside. "Says the guy whose wife just delivered twins a few months ago."

"Not the same." Roman shook his head sagely. "She got pregnant _last_ year. You two actually decided to try this year." Then he winked at Becky. "It was the _Game of Thrones_ binge watching, wasn't it? You figured if you started fooling around, you could skip some episodes. . . ."

Becky gave him a playful shove with her foot, careful not to jar his arm. "Well, in our defence, we didn't think it would happen quite so quickly. Everyone goes on and on about how long it takes, so we thought we had a couple months at least. . . ."

"Translation: Seth thought he would get to have more practice sessions first." Roman's laugh reverberated through the couch. "That's what you get for being an overachiever, man."

"You can still have sex during pregnancy. Yes," Seth added, narrowing his eyes at his friend, "we checked." He sipped at his coffee to partially hide his grin.

Roman merely checked. "I could have told you that much, bro."

"Huh, can't imagine why I didn't ask you. . . ." Glancing down, Seth noticed Becky's eyelids starting to droop. "Becks, if you need to take a nap," he said, gently prying her mostly empty coffee cup from her hand and setting it on the table, "go ahead."

Becky's head lolled to the side a bit before she forced her eyes back open. "But Roman's here."

"Roman's staying the night," Roman replied with a warm laugh, "so go ahead and sleep. My bags are out in the rental, along with a few gifts, of course. I just figured you'd want the coffee first."

"Smart man." Becky glanced back and forth between the two men. "You're sure? Because if I wake up and you've left already. . . ."

Roman held his hands up, signalling surrender. "I swear. Trust me. I learned pretty fast that you don't make a pregnant woman upset, and that is a lesson that will stay with me until the end of my days. I can go get my bags now if you don't believe me," he added, "but only if _you_ promise to have a nap before you get the gifts." Then he pointed at Seth. "And don't worry. He won't get a sneak peek either. You have to open them together. I figured a traditional baby shower is looking out of the question, so I might as well bring the presents with me. If things improve and you can have a party, well . . . Galina and JoJo won't mind another shopping trip." He stood and kissed the top of Becky's head before putting his shoes back on and heading outside.

Seth was quiet for a moment, one hand resting on Becky's belly. "So . . . good surprise?"

Becky nodded. "Excellent surprise." Pregnancy was supposed to be something to rejoice in with family and friends, but the virus and the fears it raised were making it difficult. Video chats helped, but they weren't the same as hugs and laughing long into the night. "I'm going to remember this the next time we get coffee delivered, though."

"Don't expect a cute friend every time," Seth laughed. "I only have so many."

"A pug would also be acceptable." As comfortable as she was, Becky forced herself to sit up. She doubted she would be able to stay awake for much longer, but she wanted to make sure Roman kept to his word.

Before Seth could reply, the door was opening again, Roman nudging it inward with his foot as he carried a duffel bag in each hand. "You don't get any fancy wrapping on the gifts," Roman warned. "You know what the airplane restrictions are like. But it should make Daniel Bryan happy because there will be less waste, right?" He shut the door behind him before kicking off his shoes again and setting his bags down in the living room. "There. Proof that I'm staying the night—as long as you're up to company, that is. If not, I can find a hotel."

"You're staying," Becky replied firmly. How much longer she would be able to stay awake was another matter entirely.

Not long, it turned out. After chatting for a while and seeing some new pictures of Roman's kids, Becky slowly started nodding off, and Seth automatically changed positions behind her so she could get more comfortable. "Don't worry," Seth said quietly, though not quite whispering. "Power naps. She'll only be out for ten or twenty minutes." He kissed the top of her head softly.

"It's good to see you so happy, man." Roman kept his voice low as well. "You're glowing almost as much as she is."When Becky didn't snort or give a sarcastic reply, he was almost certain she must be sleeping; she would never let such a prime opportunity for a quip go wasted if she could help it.

"I'm almost as close to falling asleep, you mean." Seth knew he could have gently rested Becky against the couch and gone to another room where he and Roman could talk freely, but there would be time for that later. Once the baby arrived, he knew that quiet time to snuggle was going to be at a premium, so he was going to enjoy it as much as he could. "We're pretty boring company, huh?"

Roman shook his head. "Nah, man. My partying days are long past. I'm quite happy with a comfortable chair and some good friends. Hopefully next year will be better and you two can bring the little one down to Florida to meet my boys."

Seth chuckled softly. "Yeah, you should probably just get a small plane to travel with your family at this point."

"Watch it." Roman's eyes were gleaming with mischief, though, and when Becky turned a bit in her sleep, one of her legs stretched out and he propped her ankle up on his knee. "Now I have twins that won't even be a year older than your kid. If your kid marries one of mine, talk about a new wrestling dynasty right there. The history of the Bloodline combined with you two? Hunter would probably draw up contracts for future considerations and slip them in with the wedding gifts."

"Don't turn me into one of those _You're not dating until you're 35_ dads before my kid is even born. I have enough stress as it is." Seth kissed the top of Becky's head again. "We're still not done the nursery yet, and we're trying to find a way to get her family here safely for the birth. . . ."

Roman flexed an arm. "I can help with the nursery and furniture assembly. Might as well use all these muscles for something before SummerSlam, right?"

Seth snorted softly. "Sure. And then watch you pull a muscle assembling a crib or something and then Vince will be beyond pissed." When a few curls slid over Becky's forehead, he gently pushed them aside. "I'm not going to put you to work while you're here, man. It's just nice to have a friend visit, you know? Makes things feel a bit more normal."

"And your normal is going to be changing again real soon." Roman gestured to Becky. "Have you guys started a list of names yet?"

"Yeah. It changes by the day. Even for the last name. Some days we think Quin-Lopez sounds good; other days we don't want to inflict the hyphen on the kid." Seth lifted his free shoulder in a shrug. "There's so many decisions. How did you and Galina ever manage when you had Joelle?"

"We were younger, don't forget," Roman replied. "That makes some things easier and other ones harder. And honestly, there were a lot of things where we thought we knew what we wanted to do and then the moment came and we did something completely different. Kids surprise you, man, every single day."

Seth smiled down at Becky, who was slowly starting to stir. "Well, _she_ still surprises me almost every single day," he murmured, "so at least I'm prepared for that."

"Prepared for what?" Becky pressed her face to Seth's chest as she tried to sit up. "What did I miss?"

Kissing the top of her head, Seth winked at Roman. "Nothing. We were talking about supper—"

"You didn't open the gifts without me, did you?" Becky forced herself to sit up properly so she could look over at Roman's bags.

"Never. And like I said, they aren't wrapped," Roman replied, standing up slowly, "but if you want to open them now before you fall asleep again. . . ."

She was still bleary-eyed, but Becky nodded eagerly nonetheless. "Having you visit is the best present, though," she said, remembering her manners at the last minute.

"Thank you, sweetheart. Any time." Roman bent to kiss the top of her head and then gave Seth a friendly jab to the arm before he went to grab his bag.

"Roman and good coffee and presents." Becky cuddled up to Seth's side again. "This is a good day."

Seth raised an eyebrow. "What about the days where you just have me and coffee?"

Becky grinned before kissing his cheek. "I also have toast. And those are good days too."

"Good thing I finally bought a toaster, I guess." Seth rubbed her belly gently. The baby had already kicked a few times, though he had been off at a RAW taping for the first one. It gave him a deeper sympathy for the parents on the roster who missed out on their kids' lives on a regular basis. "Speaking of toast," he added, leaning forward to clear some space on the coffee table for Roman, "we should probably think about what we want for supper."

Making fingerguns, Becky pointed at herself with both hands. "Pregnant lady gets whatever she wants. That's the rules."

Roman nodded emphatically. "I know all about that rule, trust me." He sat on the couch again, leaving one of the duffel bags at his feet. "Now are you going to be able to stay awake," he teased Becky, easily evading her half-hearted swipe at him, "or do you need another nap?"

"I can nap while you two are watching football." Becky grabbed her cup and, finding it empty, then took Seth's and finished the last of his coffee; Roman subtly moved his out of her reach.

"I'll save some for tomorrow," Roman said with a grin, "so you don't boot my ass out as soon as you get your gifts. There's some stuff for you guys too. Which do you want first: yours or the baby's?"

"Baby's." Seth and Becky said it in such unison it was hard to tell their voices apart, and they shared a warm smile before settling in to receive the presents from Roman. Having their friend there truly was enough—would be enough even in better times, without the worries of a virus—but knowing how loved their child was already by so many people was making it all much easier to bear. The year had been utterly unpredictable thus far, but there was no doubt that their little family was going to be surrounded by love, inside and out.


	14. Father's Day, 2020

"I was going to ask if I should technically be celebrating Father's Day since the baby won't be here for months," Seth said, reaching up and resting his hand on Becky's belly. It was still mostly flat, but he knew her body well enough to feel the slight changes there. "But I won't argue with good coffee."

Smiling, Becky set the two travel cups from 392 Davenport down on the bedside table and crawled back under the covers, snuggling up to him. "If you're not sure," she teased, "we don't have to do anything more than the coffee. That took some arranging, you know, finding a cafe that would deliver here. Good thing I have connections."

Seth kissed her and laughed. "Is it any place I know?"

Becky gave a dismissive snort. "I doubt it. Seth Rollins isn't cool, remember? How could you possibly know about the best cafe?" She moved up a bit to kiss his cheek. "Happy Father's Day." Then she chuckled. "Notice how WWE put a pay-per-view on Mother's Day but not on Father's Day?"

Thinking back to Money in the Bank, Seth felt a pang of guilt. At that point, they had already known for a few weeks that Becky was pregnant, but WWE was still deciding how to deal with the Raw Women's Title. Becky had advocated losing to Shayna—even before she had realized she was expecting—but that idea was shot down; then she suggested Asuka winning the Money in the Bank contract. Stepping aside while her career was at an incredible all-time high, regardless of how happy she was to be pregnant, was difficult for her, and he saw it in her eyes each time he left for Florida and she stayed behind. "I still feel bad that we couldn't make the announcement earlier so you could enjoy Mother's Day," he said, hugging her close. They had celebrated on their own, of course, and Becky had received dozens of calls and texts from the family members and close friends who already knew about the pregnancy, but it wasn't the same.

"You did a wonderful job of Mother's Day. Besides, it's not like there was much we _could_ do." The virus, in a way, had been part of the reason she and Seth had started trying to conceive that year; since the touring had stopped and so many things were shutting down, Becky wasn't going to miss out on as much. On the other hand, the potential health complications were terrifying and she did her best to strike a balance between being informed and knowing not to read a hundred different articles on the same subject. "I got to talk to almost all the most important people in my life, and I got to spend it with you." Then she looked down at her belly and gave it a little pat. "And you."

"And you knew you wouldn't have to keep it a secret much longer," Seth teased. After a few more minutes of cuddling, he sat up and waited until Becky was sitting before he reached for their coffees. 

"Mostly secret, anyway. It still leaked." Becky cradled her coffee lovingly. She had been cutting back on it ever since she found out she was pregnant, and she missed it more than she expected.

Something about her tone made Seth suspicious. "Am I going to be tagged in another avalanche of posts and likes the way I was on my birthday?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. Just weeks ago, Becky had posted a sweet happy birthday wish to him on Instagram, complete with a series of pictures: some from WWE, some personal, most of them previously unreleased. Then she ended it with a picture of the ultrasound showing their baby. "You can't keep breaking the internet. It's 2020. We need it for . . . pretty much everything right now."

Becky gave a small shrug as she sipped at her coffee. She found if she took longer to drink it, she could fool herself into thinking she had more. "I can always call in our coffee orders. The cafe still has this weird thing called _a phone_. You talk in one end and listen through the other."

Seth rolled his eyes. "Most people do, you mean. You talk and talk . . . and talk and talk and talk." Even when they weren't dating, they had talked on the phone often, but once they started seeing each other and Becky had still technically been on the SmackDown roster, Seth was charging his phone every other day because of their long conversations. Not that he would change a thing, of course. Those early days of the relationship had made him feel strangely young again, reinvigorated and happy, truly happy, for the first time in years. "Maybe I should check the listening part of your phone—"

" _Maybe_ you should keep your hands off my phone," Becky replied, poking him in the side, "considering you already dropped one of my phones in the ocean."

"Consider it an offering." Seth kissed the top of her head. "Like with the Trevi fountain. If you throw a coin in, it means you'll come back to Rome."

Becky raised an eyebrow as she eased out of bed. "I'm pretty sure the ocean doesn't work that way. Or Hawaii." She said the last with a sigh. After WrestleMania, they were supposed to have time off to get married in Hawaii, but that was another plan dashed to pieces. "What do you want for breakfast? I don't think I feel up to anything yet," she added, "but I can make you something."

"Like toast?" Seth laughed, throwing the sheets back and standing up to stretch. Becky never had liked eating breakfast before she worked out, and now this stage of pregnancy had left her with a very finicky stomach. _So many changes_ , he thought as he shrugged into his robe and grabbed his coffee again. They had been reading books and researching on websites and asking all their friends who had kids for advice, but there was so much to learn and even though Becky wasn't due until December, it seemed like there wasn't nearly enough time. "I'm kidding. I'm good, Becks. I'll make my own breakfast. You enjoy your coffee."

"My single, solitary coffee." Becky held her take-out cup to her chest as she went down the stairs. "So precious, so fleeting."

"So all I had to do to win your affections away from coffee and toast was get you pregnant?" Seth laughed as they made their way to the kitchen. Kevin was sleeping on the sofa and Becky ruffled his fur as they walked past. "You should have said so earlier."

"As if." Becky pulled out a kitchen stool and climbed up on it. Since they were pieces Seth had bought before they started dating, they were designed with a taller person in mind, and it was already a struggle to get up on one; when her belly started to expand, she was going to be limited to chairs. "You were just excited about the baby-making process. You were hoping it would take months, don't lie." She was giggling, though, nose crinkling up as she breathed in the thinning steam from her coffee.

"I don't remember ever hearing you complain," Seth replied innocently, pulling containers out of the fridge and setting them on the counter. "You said a lot of things— _a lot_ —but you never. . . ."

"Shh." Becky had her tablet propped up in its stand and jabbed at the screen frantically. "I don't want to lose him!"

"Lose him? Him who?" Seth left his food and came around the table to look at Becky's tablet screen before she could try to cover it with her hand. "Roman?" he asked, peering closer. The image was blurry, but he thought he recognized the art hanging up on the wall shown on the screen.

Sighing, Becky slumped back in against Seth. "It was supposed to be a surprise."

"Surprise!" Roman's head appeared at the side of the screen, followed by the curls of one of his infant sons. "Happy Father's Day, man." He settled into his office chair with a groan, cradling his fussing son to his chest. "Sorry. This was supposed to be a solo call, but someone needed some daddy time."

"No worries." Seth leaned down so both he and Becky would be in the frame. "Happy Father's Day. What did your pack get you?"

Roman patted the baby's back. "Well, the boys are all too little." Then he shook his head and laughed. "Dammit, man. I'm gonna have four teenage boys in the house before I know it. Crazy, huh?" After kissing his son's head, he continued. "JoJo's taking me out to the beach later so we can hang out. What do you two have planned?"

Seth pointed at Becky. "You'll have to ask The Mom," he said, quickly stepping out of swatting range.

"Watch it," Becky warned, "or I'll get you one of those shirts and make you wear it."

Roman watched the exchange with an amused grin. "You've got some interesting kinks there, Becks. That must be how you got pregnant so fast."

Becky sipped at her coffee innocently. "What can I say? Seth's ambitious."

Not wanting to wake his son, Roman held his free hand to his mouth to muffle his booming laugh. "That's a new way of putting it, I guess."

Pulling another stool close to Becky's, Seth ignored his growling stomach and settled in. "Now Dean just has to have a kid soon," he said, "and then there could be a New Shield in twenty years or so."

Roman shook his head. "No way, man. No. I don't know how the legends do it, but I don't want to be haunting those halls when I'm sixty and seventy, you know? If my kids want to get into wrestling—and yes, Becks, that includes JoJo—you know I'll support them all the way, but I'm not going to force it."

Leaning against Seth's shoulder, Becky chuckled. "You might want to talk to Dean, then. Sounded like he and Renee had an . . . interesting checklist they were working through." When both Seth and Roman shot her pointed looks, Becky shrugged innocently. "I didn't say it was a bad thing, did I?"

"It's a baby year," Roman remarked. "It's going to be a weird generation, I know that much." He rubbed his son's back and rocked gently in his chair. "So how's everything going? Have you picked out any names yet? Galina's already asking where you're registered; she likes shopping early."

Becky and Seth shared a look. "We . . . haven't quite gotten that far yet. We've mostly been reading up on symptoms and things to watch out for and all that—" She stopped when she heard a sharp cry on Roman's end which was quickly echoed by the baby in his arms. "Time to go?"

Roman nodded, cupping his son's head as he rocked back and forth. "Yeah, I think so. One of those days. You'll have them soon enough."

"I don't know what you're talking about. My mom said she hoped the baby was just like me, and I was clearly an angel," Becky replied, her attempt at a straight face failing before she even made it halfway through the sentence, "so there's nothing to worry about."

"Nothing to worry about," Roman echoed, murmuring in his son's ear. "I look forward to seeing that. We'll talk soon. Enjoy your first Father's Day, man. Fatherhood's looking good on you."

Seth was surprised at how relieved that made him feel. His relationship with Becky had been plagued with criticism from the start, from rumours of cheating—or simply rehashing his poor choices from the past—to their so-called 'hasty' engagement and now the pregnancy that some were saying would effectively end Becky's career. To be praised by someone who had known him through so many of his ups and downs and had stuck with him through it all meant the world to him. "Thanks, Roman. Have a good day with the kids."

When Roman disconnected, Becky shut off her tablet and leaned in to kiss Seth. "Sorry about that. I had talked with him a few days ago and we were going to have long-distance breakfast together. . . ."

"Has anything gone to plan this year?" Seth quipped, sliding down off the stool and hugging her. 

"You mean aside from this?" Becky pointed down at her belly again. 

Seth took it as an invitation and leaned down to kiss her bump. "Best change of plans ever."


	15. First Kiss

January could be a rough month for a lot of people, but the changing of the year had never really bothered Seth much. It was an excuse to get together with friends, party, and then make some resolutions. He was trying to get better about the last one, though he wasn't doing too well thus far. He had vowed to spend more time on his relationship since he knew Sarah was feeling neglected—and then they had broken up just a few days later. They had both agreed to keep it quiet for a while since he had so much on the go—his cafe was slated to open soon and he knew he was in the running to win the Royal Rumble this year—but between the break-up and working through an injury, some of the shine of the new year had definitely worn off.

There was still one bright spot, strange as it was: Becky. They started working out together more often late last year and watching her gradually become The Man had made him incredibly proud. There were even rumours of a women's match main-eventing WrestleMania for the first time in history—due in large part to her popularity and the attention she had brought to the women's division—and though it meant his dream might be deferred for at least another year, he couldn't be happier for her. She had been working so hard for so long, steadily building momentum and a fan base even when no one in upper management seemed to even remember she was on the roster, and to see her finally getting the attention she deserved made him feel like a fan all over again.

Both Sheamus and Cesaro—not to mention Joshy and Finn and Roman—had teased that he might be feeling a little something more for Becky, but Seth brushed it off. They had known each other for years now; if anything was going to happen between them, it would have been long before now. They had both been in relationships as well, though not particularly fulfilling ones. But the more Seth thought about it, the more he had to wonder. Aside from Zahra, he had always avoided dating within the industry, wanting to have some sliver of his personal life kept separate from wrestling. There were plenty of couples who made it work, though: Candice and Johnny in NXT, Jimmy and Naomi, Aleister and Zelina. They had built-in support backstage and on the road, and it showed in their confidence, their calmness. Of course, when things went badly, then it became _everyone's_ business, and between his photo leak and the texts, Seth had already had more than had his fill of the gossip spotlight.

Now he was under a different spotlight, waiting to hear who was going to win the Rumble match and win the title shot at WrestleMania. Vince always had a few guys in mind and would even declare a victor days in advance, but everyone knew it was the answer on the night of the event that mattered. Seth had heard his name floated around, but there were others too, and given that he needed to do some rehab for an injury, he was completely expecting to be passed over this year. With such a stacked roster, the smallest flaw could send someone to the back of the line.

"Still waiting?" He would recognize Becky's voice anywhere, even if he couldn't always decipher her accent. Jamming her hands into her hoodie's pockets, she waited until a lighting rig was carried past them to cross to his side of the corridor. "They'd be stupid not to choose you."

Seth started to reply but pursed his lips. WWE made a lot of decisions he didn't necessarily agree with, which could make defending the company difficult, but in this case, he knew there were a lot of good wrestlers they could choose. "No comment," he said at last with a low chuckle. "Waiting to hear about your match with Asuka?"

Becky shook her head. "I know she's retaining. She deserves it and I'm glad for her. She deserves a lot better than she's got here so far. I ran into one of the refs and he said Steph wanted to see me, so I was heading this way and then I saw you. . . ." She rocked back on her heels. "How are you doing? Have you talked things over with Sarah yet?"

For a brief moment, Seth regretted telling her anything about the break-up, but he couldn't help it. Becky was so easy to talk to, and she had a way of listening that made a person feel like they had the most important, interesting story she had ever heard. "No. I don't think I'm going to try, though." Sarah was the last thing he wanted to be talking about, especially with her, but Becky would only worry if he didn't answer. "Things had been going downhill for a while. I think it's better this way. Start the year off fresh, you know?"

Becky nodded, but she didn't seem convinced. "Well, if you want to talk—"

"Becky!" Stephanie came around the corner, beaming brightly. "Just the woman I wanted to see. No changes to your match with Asuka, but you're being put in the Rumble match."

"I—what?" Becky blinked in confusion. "You just said there were no changes with Asuka. I still fight her, right?"

Stephanie nodded curtly; judging from how her fingers were twitching around her phone, she clearly had places to be. "Yes. Like I said, no changes there. But Lana's selling the injury from earlier in the night, and you'll run down the aisle and ask to take her place."

Becky was still stunned and even though Seth could see the pieces falling into place, he was fairly certain she couldn't. _She's going to be so happy,_ he thought, completely forgetting about his own wait for a moment.

"But . . . Lana was one of the last ones in," Becky said slowly, hands clenching in her pockets.

Stephanie gave her a wolfish grin. "Twenty-eight. And now that's you. And you're going to win." While Becky was temporarily—and uncharacteristically—speechless, Stephanie hugged her and squeezed her shoulders. "Congratulations!" Then, leaning closer, she mock whispered, "It's not quite official yet, but it looks like that the women are main-eventing WrestleMania this year too." Stephanie hugged her one more time before heading off down the hall, phone pressed to her ear.

"Oh. Oh my god. _Oh god_." Becky's hands were shaking when she pulled them out of her pockets and she did a happy little hop, spinning around until she was facing Seth. "I'm winning the Rumble!" she blurted, hugging him tightly.

Her delight was infectious and Seth held her close, lifting her off the floor and making her laugh. "About damn time they saw how amazing you are," he replied, trying not to think about how her arms were wrapped around his shoulders or how warm her breath was on his neck. She was happy and rightfully so, and he wouldn't sully that moment for her. "You should go tell Charlotte and Sasha and Bayley. They'll be over the moon."

But Becky didn't budge. If anything, she cuddled closer, her nose pressed up against his shoulder. "I'm glad I got to share it with you first," she mumbled.

"Me too." He could feel her heart beating against his chest, so stark against the stillness of her body; she was like a cat who had found a comfortable spot and steadfastly refused to move. "Congratulations. You deserve this so much. You've worked so hard."

"Thanks." With a deep, shaky breath, she reluctantly started to slide back down to her feet, but this time it was Seth who was still, keeping his arms wrapped tight around her waist. "Seth?" 

When Becky raised her head from his shoulder, it was so simple—almost too perfect, really. Her face was right there, pupils wide with excitement and cheeks flushed, and Seth took it all in for a moment before leaning forward. He moved to kiss her cheek at first and he did, but then her breath caught when his beard brushed her face and her hand was curving around the back of his head, tilting him just enough that their lips touched.

She started it. He would always remember that, with a mixture of deep pleasure and lingering regret: Seth was ecstatic that the strangely brewing feelings he had for her seemed to be mutual, but he would always wish that he had been the one to make the first move. In some ways, he supposed, he had: by not letting her go, by keeping her in his arms, close enough to devour, he had set the stage. But it was Becky who had stepped forward first, braving the bright, unforgiving glare of the spotlight.

The first kiss was slow enough to make his jaw ache, a full body affair that made him want to press her up against the wall—if only he could be certain of where he was. He could hear voices in the distance and feel a sharp corner digging into his calf, but with Becky's fingers tangled in his hair, any other pain was drowned out, muted.

A loud crash startled them both, and just in time too: Hunter emerged from his office a moment later, looking around for the source of the clamour. When he noticed Seth, who had just set Becky back on her feet, Hunter nodded. "Congratulations. You're winning the rumble. You get to point at the sign."

 _You get to point at the sign_. It had become a joke of sorts, a meme, the way Royal Rumble winners would point at the WrestleMania sign to demonstrate their victory, their path, their goal. The news should have made Seth ecstatic, but all he could think about was how good Becky had felt in his arm—the same Becky he had hugged countless times before, in happiness and sorrow, disappointment and greeting. What had changed? She had always been pretty, of course, and smart and funny, but he couldn't remember ever thinking he wanted to kiss her. Now he couldn't think of anything else.

"Wow." Seth was speechless, nearly breathless, and Hunter assumed it was due to the announcement. "Thanks, Hunter. I—"

Becky was the first to rally, hugging him tightly; it was also a convenient way to hide her face, which was still flushed, her lips still wet. "Congrats! Behold the power of CrossFit!"

Hunter shook his head and chuckled. "Lynch, you're up for promos soon. Go get ready."

"Okay." After Hunter went back into his office, Becky turned to Seth. "Um, so I should probably—"

Seth kissed her again, and this time he did press her up against the wall—at least the nearest doorway, just out of sight of the main corridor. The kiss sped up when his fingers grazed the strip of bare skin above her waistband, and her body was torn between wanting to lean back into his hand and push forward against his chest. When they finally slowed down enough to breathe, hazy-eyed and rasping, Seth's hand was flush against her lower back and Becky almost had a leg hooked around his waist. "Wow," Seth echoed, leaning against the door. His brain, his lips, his skin: everything was buzzing, making it almost impossible to focus on anything but Becky's shining eyes. "We should—"

"Talk later." Running a tentative hand along his jaw, Becky rose on tiptoe for one last kiss, sweet and short and somehow hungrier than the other two combined. "I have to go. But later. . . ."

"Later," Seth agreed, not moving from the door. He didn't trust his knees.

"Later." Becky spun around quickly, almost colliding with the wall. As she stepped out of harm's way, she laughed a bit, half-turning to smile at him before she walked away. 

Seth laughed to himself as she almost collided with a stack of chairs. A Royal Rumble win, a title shot at WrestleMania, _and_ kissing Becky three times in the span of mere minutes? Maybe this year wouldn't be so bad after all.


	16. Seth's birthday, 2020

"Happy birthday!"

As he started to wake up, Seth realized something odd: he was cold. Chilly, anyway, which was rare for him, especially since Becky usually snuggled up so close to him in bed he was surprised he could even see her. When he opened an eye, though, he caught her setting her phone down in a hurry before leaning over to kiss him. "What did you do?" he asked, opening his other eye. He tried to sit up, but Becky stretched out beside him and hugged him. 

Smiling, Becky tucked her head in between his neck and shoulder. "What do you mean?"

"Don't even try." Becky was wearing one of his old Black and Brave shirts and he slipped his hand underneath, resting it on her belly. She hadn't really gained any weight yet—it was too soon for that, and she had been having trouble eating anyway—but he was still amazed that she was pregnant, that it had happened for them so quickly. He knew people who had tried for years with no luck. "What did you do?"

Sighing, Becky brushed some curls out of his face. "I just wished you a happy birthday, that's all."

Seth narrowed his eyes. "I don't mean _just now_." Ever since he had dropped her phone in the ocean, he never quite got over the fear he felt whenever he saw her tapping away on her screen. "What did you post?"

Becky's grin only broadened. "Just a happy birthday wish, like I said." Then she rested her head on his shoulder again. "So what do you want to do for your birthday? Drinking's out, obviously, at least for me. I could be your designated driver. . . ."

" _No._ " Chuckling, Seth wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "I want both of us to be around in December." Then he patted her belly again. "All three of us." Just at the edge of his hearing, he kept hearing a series of beeps. "What is that? Is something wrong with the coffee maker? Or is that your toaster?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." The feigned innocence on Becky's face should have been enough to clue him in, but Seth definitely got suspicious when she gave him a quick kiss and scooted off the bed. It wasn't like her to pass up warmth and a cuddle. "I should go check the coffee maker, though. Or do you want something ordered in from 392?"

The beeps started sounding off faster and faster, and then Seth figured it out. Covering his face with his hands, he groaned. "You posted something on Instagram, didn't you?"

Becky kissed his hands before darting away. "You posted something on my birthday," she pointed out, "so why can't I return the favour?" Pointing to her belly, she added, "I'm teaching our kid to appreciate birthdays, you know." Then she hurried out of the room, laughing all the way down the hallway.

"Sure. That's what you're doing." Seth let out a long breath and wondered how long it would take Becky to come back to bed. It was warm and he was there—two of her favourite things—but if she was planning a birthday surprise for him, then he ought to get up. She was hardly at the stage where she couldn't do things anymore, but he wanted her to know that he was going to be supportive during the whole experience. After pulling on his workout shorts, Seth grabbed his phone and checked to see if he had any messages; since Becky wasn't sleeping well, he was starting to mute his phone at night.

If only he had remembered to mute his notifications. He no sooner looked at one before five more appeared, and eventually Seth just cleared them all, looking for the source. "Instagram," he muttered. "Of course." After he got down the stairs, he opened the app to see what all the commotion was about.

_This person right here is my favorite person in the world,_ the post began. The first picture—it looked like there were at least eight—was of him sitting on a floor in an animal shelter, holding a pug. Then there was a picture of the two of them by a waterfall in Hawaii, followed by one of their shots for Muscle and Fitness. Shaking his head, he returned to the caption Becky had made. _I thought I was doing fairly well in life before, but then you came along and made me feel like the luckiest (and happiest) human in the world._ Seth stopped halfway through the living room, sitting on the edge of the couch. Curious, Kevin sidled up to his leg and Seth reached down with his free hand to pet him. _I love you and can't want to start this next crazy chapter with you. Happy Birthday._ There were still more pictures: them on an amusement park ride, them kissing at a restaurant, a shot of him cuddling with Kevin. Then there was a black and white picture of them hugging after her victory at WrestleMania 35, followed by a goofy shot of him at home with a take-out pizza box on his lap. But Becky, of course, saved the most important one—the one that was no doubt garnering all the attention—for last: a picture of their ultrasound.

"Rebecca." Becky glanced up with a hint of guilt when he entered the kitchen. "You know you already broke the internet last year, right?" He slipped his arms around her and pulled her close, kissing the top of her head before resting his cheek there. 

"Technically, _we_ did. I thought we agreed to share responsibility for that." She pulled his face down to hers and kissed him. "It's been a weird year, and you're always making the sweet gestures. I just wanted you to know that I can too."

"Next time, could you do it without breaking the internet?" Seth quipped, rocking her gently. "Or at least not my phone?"

Becky scoffed and poked his chest. "I'm not the one who left your notifications on, so you can't blame me for that."

"No," Seth agreed, "but now we're going to have people asking if we got the pug and what we named it and where the pizza's from and why the ultrasound says _baby_ when it's . . . clearly a baby." His argument lost steam, so he just held Becky for a long moment instead, barely moving even when the coffee maker beeped. "I thought last year's birthday was good, but this is so much better."

Pulling back just enough to look up at him, Becky narrowed her eyes. "You know there's going to be at least seventy-wo percent less sex for your birthday this year, right?" she chuckled. 

Smiling innocently, Seth kissed the top of her head again before letting her go and heading for the coffee maker. "That's . . . a very specific number, Becks. Besides, I'm just happy I get to spend the day with you."

Becky rolled her eyes. "That's such a Dad answer. You better not start stealing my puns and trying to pass them off as Dad jokes," she warned, "because that will not be happening."

"How did that post go again?" Seth set a cup of coffee in front of her and pretended to think. " _This person right here is my favorite person in the world_ , I'm pretty sure. I should get that on one of those novelty shirts."

"Does that mean I get the _I'm with Stupid_ one?" Becky tried to duck around him, but Seth caught her easily. He was already being more careful now, not spinning her around with abandon like he used to. So many things were changing about their lives, their relationship, big and small and everything in between and he never realized there was so much more to _everything_. "Don't forget. You're going to have competition for top spot pretty soon."

"I think that's a title I can learn to share. We can be a tag team," he replied, rubbing Becky's belly as he set her down. "Until we have more kids. Then maybe we'll be your favourite Survivor Series team."

Laughing, Becky reached for her coffee, mostly as a defence mechanism: she knew he wouldn't tickle her if she had a cup of hot coffee in her hands. "Let's see how we do with this one first. Or are you mad now that Roman has five?"

Seth pulled one of the kitchen stools out and sat down, quietly stunned by how happy he was for such simplicity. He'd never been the wildest partier out there, but he'd had his fair share of crazy times; he remembered thinking he would never want to get married or have kids. Now there wasn't much more he _did_ want. _The right person changes everything,_ he thought. Knowing that the right person had been in his life for years already, _right there_ , still baffled him, but in some ways he was grateful; if he and Becky had dated earlier, he might not have been ready, and he could have lost her forever. "Not mad, no," Seth laughed. "Inspired, maybe."

" _Inspired!_ " Becky almost spat out her coffee. "It's not a _challenge_. Don't forget that they had two sets of twins. TWO! So that's three pregnancies, not five."

"I'm fine with having twins." He gave Becky a wink. "They don't run on my mom's side, though, and who knows about my father's. What about you?"

Becky shut her eyes and shook her head. "That's not what _Irish twins_ means, and you know it."

"Look at Miz and Maryse's girls, though." Seth moved to the other side of the counter and leaned on his elbows, giving her his most winsome look. "They're close in age and they look like best friends."

"Maybe _I_ should have dropped _your_ phone in the ocean," Becky retorted, sticking her tongue out at him. "Then you couldn't have sent me all those sweet texts. . . ."

Seth shook his head. "It would have been too late. I'd already proposed by then, and you said yes. You were locked down. You wouldn't go back on your word, would you?" His cheeks were going to hurt from smiling so much, but he couldn't help it.

Eyes sparkling, Becky stood up. "Try me."

"Is this a challenge," Seth asked, finishing his coffee and setting the cup aside, "or is this part of my birthday present?"

Becky pushed her coffee cup out of the way and grinned. "Why can't it be both?"

In the early days of their relationship, sneaking time together in arenas and hotels, things had been quick and rough and they both loved the rush of it. Now that pregnancy had slowed them down somewhat, made them more cautious, Seth found he loved a more languorous pace as well. He went back over to Becky's side of the breakfast table and kissed her slowly, cupping her face with both hands. "So how much time do we have?" he murmured against her lips. "I know you must have something planned."

"Roman and Dean are calling in the afternoon," Becky replied, eyes still mostly shut, "and Cesaro and Joshy were going to call after supper. And your mom wanted to bring something over for you this afternoon, I think; she was going to call first, she said."

Seth tried to combine all the names and times into an equation. "So that means we get the morning to ourselves, then?"

Becky nodded. "Unless someone calls, yeah." She slid her hands up his back, letting them curve around his shoulder blades. "I know your brother said he had to work—"

"Then I know how I want to start the morning. We're going back to bed. And this," Seth added, turning off every notification for every app on his phone before setting it by the toaster, "is staying here until we come back downstairs." Then he grabbed Becky's hand and pulled her back towards the stairs.

"Happy birthday." Becky stopped him at the foot of the stairs, stepping up on the bottom one to make kissing him easier. "I love you. And I promise not to break the internet for you on Father's Day."

"Oh shit." Then Seth laughed. No matter how many pregnancy articles they read or baby gifts they received, there was always something that took him by surprise. "I have to worry about that now too?"

Becky nodded happily, tugging on the waistband of his shorts. "Are you still _inspired_?"

"By you," he replied, "always."


	17. Mother's Day, 2020

"Happy Mother's Day." Seth's voice was the first thing Becky heard, sleepy and soft, as soothing as his hand on her back, and she still had that moment where it all felt like a dream. The nausea, the pregnancy test, telling their closest friends and family members: all of it seemed hazy now, possibly because the biggest announcement was still looming. Becky hadn't been on WWE television since learning she was pregnant, but she knew the women's title couldn't—and shouldn't—go undefended for too long, so she had to do something soon.

When Becky finally looked up, she saw Seth smiling down at her, eyes sparkling. Ever since they had found out they were expecting, it was rare to find him without a smile on his face unless he was sleeping. Things that he hadn't even noticed before—toys, playgrounds, even clothes—suddenly enthused him to no end. When she first had her suspicions that she was pregnant, she hadn't told him she had tried taking a test: part of her was worried he would be disappointed either way. When they had finally managed to get a test to confirm it, though, she was the one who was in shock and he had been screaming with joy. "Good morning." She snuggled closer to him, still tired; she had been up a few times in the night because she didn't feel well, and she was fervently hoping her body calmed down enough to let her get through her final taping of Monday Night RAW. "I think I had a dream about puking during my announcement tomorrow," she murmured, playing with Seth's beard. "I hope that's not an omen." She was trying to balance all the superstitions of pregnancy with all the reading they were doing, but there were times when she had to admit the old wives' tales seemed more accurate, or at least more likely.

"You'll be fine," Seth assured her. "And you don't have to do something out in the ring if you don't want to. You could do a video clip instead, or—"

Becky shook her head, then shoved hair out of her face. _No more hair dye for a while,_ she thought. It would be interesting to go back to her natural colour; she hadn't had it for years. "No. I want to. I don't want it to be a storyline thing," she said quickly, "but I want it to come from me. Otherwise there's just going to be speculation and people trying to sneak pictures. . . ."

"They do all that anyway," Seth reminded her gently, brushing his knuckles across her cheek. "So what do you want to do today? We can't do anything too obvious, unless you want to announce things early."

"I want to go work out," Becky said first. Joshy, their friend and trainer, had been one of the first people they had told, and he had been instrumental in helping her find a workout regime she could follow safely through the early stages of the pregnancy. "And call my mom, of course, and yours."

"You know Bayley's going to call you at some point," Seth laughed, "and Charlotte and Sasha. . . ."

"I know." All her friends were so happy for her: delighted that she had finally found a good partner, that she was engaged, that she was pregnant. "I never thought I would be the first Horsewoman to be have a kid," she said with a hint of wonder. "I guess it makes sense since Bayley and Sasha are younger, but . . . I don't know."

"For a long time, I didn't think I would want kids at all." Seth stopped moving his hand along her back and let it linger around her hip. She had joked that he might not be so keen on pregnancy when her belly got to the beach-ball stage, and he had simply said that he'd cherish every single day of it with her. "Or marriage or a lot of things. Thank you for proving me wrong."

Becky laughed. "That's me, always being contrary." Then she sighed and kissed his chest. "We should have Black and Brave to ourselves for the morning, right? It's fine if Marek's there, obviously, but—"

"There's no classes or anything. He wants to be with his family today," Seth said, "and I want to be with mine." Then he sat up gingerly, tucking the blankets back in around her. "You stay cozy. I just want to call my mom quick and wish her Happy Mother's Day, okay?"

"Okay. Tell her I say hi." Becky moved over to Seth's spot and burrowed closer, hoping to absorb as much of his warmth as she could. She slipped back into sleep again, something her mother had cautioned her about; when Annette was pregnant with her, she would nap constantly.

When Seth nudged her awake, the room was much brighter. "Mom wished you a Happy Mother's Day and hopes the announcement goes well tomorrow." He sat against the headboard and stroked her hair. "You still want to work out," he asked, "or would you rather stay close to home?"

Becky shook her head. Between the virus and her pregnancy, she was going to be isolated enough as it was; she wanted to partake in as much as she could—safely, of course. "Do we still have enough time for a workout?" she asked.

Seth chuckled. "I know a guy who knows a guy. I think I can keep the gym closed for you. I already ate and packed our bags, so you just need to get dressed."

"What?" Becky propped herself up on her elbows and looked around blearily, but since Seth's phone wasn't on his charger, there was nothing displaying the time. "How long was I sleeping?"

"Around an hour?" Seth shrugged. "Don't worry about it, Becks. You need it."

He was right, but it still bugged her. She didn't want to miss out on things because she was either sick or asleep. "Give me ten minutes," she declared. 

"I remember when you used to be ready in five minutes," Seth laughed. "But I guess you're dressing for two now, right?" 

"You know I'm milking that excuse for all it's worth, so you better just get used to it." Sticking her tongue out at him, Becky sat up and moved to the edge of the bed. "And that includes mint chocolate."

Seth gave an exaggerated shudder before standing up. "I'll go put our bags in the car and feed Kevin. Take your time." Then he kissed her quickly and headed downstairs.

Logically, she knew Seth wasn't coddling her—and that there would be a time when she would welcome all the help she could get—but she still wished she wasn't so nauseous. All in all, she had been pretty healthy, which made working under so many restrictions feel stifling. She dressed as quickly as she could, then brushed her teeth and only washed her face, since she would be showering after her workout anyway. When she got downstairs, she found that Seth had left her half a cup of coffee, which she downed gratefully. "I'm ready," she said when Seth came back inside. _Ready for what?_ she thought. Sleep? More coffee? A nap? She knew she couldn't have coffee in abundance, but at least she didn't have to worry about oversleeping.

"I just wish we could do more to celebrate . . . you know, officially. But I didn't want to order flowers or anything, because you know how word gets around." Seth waited until she had tied her shoes to open the door. "But if there's something you want to do. . . ."

"This. This is good. This is perfect." Becky reached up and kissed him. There was so much she loved about her life—Seth, being active, having lots of projects on the go—and she wanted to keep as much of that going as possible. She had nearly cried with relief when Joshy had said she could still work out. Pregnancy meant slowing down and being careful, she knew, but Becky wouldn't have been able to handle doing absolutely nothing. "Doing our regular stuff. That's enough for me." Then she grinned. "If you want, you can double up on Mother's Day next year."

Seth winked. "I'm going to remember you said that."

"At least one of us will," Becky grinned as she went to the passenger's door. Even when they had only been friends, Seth had been one of the most thoughtful people she knew; he didn't always express it in the best ways back then, but seeing how far he'd come and how much he'd grown made her heart swell with pride. 

When they got to the gym, Seth made sure the windows were covered so they could work out in peace, and even though he was doing his own exercises, he always made sure to stay close to her in case she needed help. Becky was following Joshy's instructions to the letter, being cautious and even stopping early when she felt herself getting winded. "I think that's enough for me," she panted. "I don't want to push it. You keep going, though."

Watching Seth work out wasn't exactly a hardship, of course. In their early days of working out together, Becky had admired his drive and his stamina; now she still admired his work ethic, but her appreciation of his stamina had taken on some different facets. While he was doing his final exercises, Becky grabbed her phone and sifted through some texts wishing her a Happy Mother's Day. Since they hadn't told a lot of people, there weren't many, but at least they were heartfelt. She was finishing up her last reply when Seth sat beside her on the weight bench. "Secret admirers?" he teased.

"By the dozens," she replied, leaning over to kiss his cheek. "I'll need to get a burner phone soon. I should ask Ma what she used to talk with Big E. . . ."

"Good thing the Mississippi River isn't far away then. It's a long drive to the ocean just to toss another phone." Then he stood and offered his hand. "Ready to clean up? I can get us some coffees to go from 392 before we leave; you can either wait in here or in the car." Wiping down the equipment didn't take long, though Becky was more cautious around the disinfectants. The amount of things they had to think twice about now was incredible.

"I'll wait in here." Since it was just the two of them, they showered together, which always turned into more, and by the time the water was starting to get cold, Becky could hear a phone ringing. "Not sure if that's yours or the one in the office."

Seth shut the water off and focussed on the ringtone. "The office. It can ring." As they helped each other dry off, his gaze lingered on her hair. "It's going to be weird when the orange is gone," he said, tugging on a strand of her hair while she shrugged into her shirt.

"On the bright side," Becky said, "I won't need a disguise. Between the different hair colour and the pregnancy belly, no one will think it's me." She laughed as she sat down on the bench to retie her shoes. "Watch someone think I'm one of the Bella Twins."

"In Iowa?" Seth's laugh rang throughout the otherwise empty locker room. "Not likely." He grabbed his mask from his bag and added, "You're sure you want to wait in here?"

Becky nodded. "I'm going to go sit in the ring. Just to. . . ." She stopped abruptly, feeling tears start to creep in. As much as she loved and wanted this baby, she was still going to miss wrestling terribly. Being away from the ring for a year or more—even when they were operating at a reduced capacity because of the pandemic—was probably going to be worse than the morning sickness.

Seth seemed to understand, because he just nodded and left, pulling his mask into place. Becky gathered her things and headed out to the practice area. Empty and dimly lit, the ring had an eerie feel as she climbed between the ropes. She still hadn't decided exactly what to say on RAW, and she knew she would probably go off-script anyway, but on some level it didn't matter. She had already achieved so many of her dreams; now it was time to work on this one.


	18. Christmas 2020

Becky always liked stealing glances at Seth. Even back in NXT, back before she had feelings for him that went beyond friendship—or at least before she _knew_ she did—she'd thought he was gorgeous. Now she didn't have to sneak glances at him anymore, but the novelty had far from worn off, especially when he was holding their daughter. Becky had just gone upstairs for a quick shower after a long Christmas Day and when she had left, Seth had been sitting up, cradling Roux to his chest. Now he had slumped a bit, head tilted back as he dozed lightly. The warm glow from the Christmas tree lights bathed both father and daughter in a soft haze of rainbow and glinted in Seth's dark hair.

Not wanting to wake them, Becky crept closer, trying to gently rearrange the pillow behind Seth. He had read that skin-to-skin contact was beneficial, so he did it as often as he could. Since he usually had the heat up for Becky's sake, going without a shirt for half an hour didn't bother him. When Becky crouched down by the couch, though, he quickly woke, immediately glancing down to make sure Roux was okay. "That was a quick shower," he murmured, kissing Becky gently as she sat down beside him. "You didn't have to rush. You had a long day."

"So did you." They had been flooded with calls and texts from family and friends, all wanting to wish them a happy first Christmas with their newborn. Since Roux was only a few weeks old, she could hardly open her own gifts, but there were so many for her that Seth and Becky had to open them in stages, take stuff upstairs, and then start unwrapping presents again. "God, your hand looks so massive on her back," Becky said softly, leaning down to kiss his fingers. "I used to think it looked big against me, but you can practically hold her in one hand. . . ."

"Don't worry. I won't do the Orton pose with her." Seth sat up a bit and wrapped his free arm around Becky. The living room was still strewn with bits of wrapping paper and ribbons, but neither of them cared enough to clean it up; the mess—and the calls they still had to make or return—could wait until tomorrow. "I thought you were going to say _Wake up; it's time to go to sleep_."

Becky laughed, more of a gentle snort than anything. "That's going to be New Year's Eve. We'll have to set the clocks ahead so we can pretend we rang in the new year." She snuggled closer to Seth and rested her head on his shoulder, peering down at their daughter. Roux was still far too young to be doing much of anything, but Becky found herself enthralled with every small movement and little noise she made. "I still need a picture of you two like this."

Seth's mouth twitched in a sleepy smile. He had also read that too much skin-to-skin contact with the father could overheat a baby, but it was usually Roux warming him up. "You mean you don't have a billion already? I'm shocked." They were both guilty of taking a lot of photos, but since Becky's family couldn't visit from Ireland yet, pictures and video chats were still the only way they could see Roux.

"Can't hurt to have another one." Becky reached over and tenderly stroked Roux's wisps of hair. "I hope we thanked everyone for the gifts. I don't even want to look at a phone tomorrow morning."

"Me neither. Marek wants to pop by tomorrow and drop off something, but he said he'll call first and see if when there's a good time for us." He rested his head against Becky's and ran a finger over her engagement ring. "I still wish we'd gotten married this year."

"So it would be easier to figure out which anniversary we're on, right?" Becky let her eyes drift shut. "Well, there's still time. We could just go to a courthouse. . . . " Then she moved her hand from Roux's head to Seth's beard. "You know that it doesn't matter to me that we had her before we were married, right? That's . . . ."

"An Irish Mommy thing?" Seth teased. When Roux started to squirm, they both went still as statues. "Well, guess who's an Irish Mommy now?" He kissed Becky's forehead before starting to straighten up. "We should get the little one to bed properly, huh?"

Becky knew Seth would happily cuddle with Roux all night, but they wanted her to be able to sleep on her own too. "We should," she agreed, "and then probably get ourselves to bed too."

Neither of them moved, though, too comfortable and content. "What's on the schedule for tomorrow?" he asked, barely managing to stifle a yawn. "Did we talk to almost everyone today?" Since Becky's family had to contend with time zone differences, they had scheduled specific times for them and tried to work in other family and friends around them. He couldn't imagine who else they would have left, but it seemed like there was an endless stream of people wanting to wish them well. "I've lost track."

"Pretty much. Some were on Christmas Eve. I vote for starting tomorrow with sleep and coffee." Running her thumb over Roux's hand, she added, "Or formula. Why not have three different diets going in the house?"

"We're going to need three washing machines just to handle all the clothes she got," Seth remarked, slowly sitting up and pulling his shirt free from the sofa arm. "All right. Let's see if we can get her upstairs without waking her up." He had gotten so used to talking more softly that he had to remember to raise his voice back up to a normal level when he was at Black and Brave. "Can you grab my shirt?"

"Sure." Becky draped his shirt over her shoulder and cleared a path to the stairs so he couldn't trip on any Christmas debris. Then she shut off the tree lights and glanced around. The clutter bothered her, but not enough to deal with it at the moment, not when she could sleep and cuddle with Seth instead.

"Good thing babies pretty much live in pyjamas," Seth murmured, creeping up the stairs slowly. They had converted one of the spare rooms into a nursery, but also had a small crib in their room in case Roux was having a bad night. He went to the nursery, though, keeping the lights off as both he and Becky kissed Roux goodnight before he gently lowered her into her crib. When he straightened up, he saw Becky adjusting the baby monitor. "It's fine, Becks," he smiled, going over to her and herding her out of the nursery.

"I know. I just—" Becky started to reach for the nursery doorknob after Seth had closed the door, but he intercepted her hand and kissed it. "I just worry that I won't hear—"

"If you don't," Seth assured her, pulling her to him, "I will. Tag team rules, remember?"

Becky tapped his chest. "Six-time tag team champion." Then she pointed to herself. "Zero time. At the rate I'm going, I'm going to be the only woman on the roster who's _not_ a Grand Slam champion." She didn't stop him from taking her to their bedroom, though. Even with Roux being less than a month old, it had been a hectic Christmas and she imagined that next year's holidays would only be busier. It gave her a whole new appreciation for all the hard work her mother had done. "God, I'm wiped. And that's just with us. Imagine if we'd had to do a full proper Christmas!"

"Christmas is whatever we make it," Seth reminded her. Last year they had been in Ireland, and it had been his first time away from his family for the holidays. It helped him learn to be adaptable, though, and having a later Christmas with his family just showed that it was about the people, not the date. "And next year will be different." He checked the charge and the volume on the baby monitor handset before tugging on Becky's hand. "She'll be walking and getting into everything. . . ."

"Hm. Sort of like someone else I know. I'll need to find better hiding spots for presents next year." Becky knew Seth hadn't exactly snooped, but aside from her office, there weren't a lot of spaces in the house that they didn't share. 

"First we have to find room for all the presents Roux got _this_ year." Seth waited until they were both undressed to turn off the light. "Asuka, Bayley, Charlotte, Naomi, and Sasha alone got her enough toys to open a store. . . ."

"The guys weren't any better." Becky let Seth get settled before she snuggled up beside him. Not having to contend with her baby belly any longer made sleeping—and cuddling—much easier, but part of her missed that intense connection with Roux as well. Watching Seth with her, though, made Becky's heart want to burst. "Cesaro and all those multi-language books will have Roux speaking more languages than we can before she's two."

"Then she can play with Maryse's girls when we're in L.A." Then Seth chuckled, fingers dancing lazily across Becky's back. "Whenever we actually get her to an event, you know we're not going to be see her again until the end of the show, right? Especially if Naomi's there."

"Careful. Naomi might not wait. Maybe she'll just show up at the door one day." Becky rested her head on Seth's shoulder and sighed. "I miss all of them. Even Lacey." When Seth pulled away just enough to give her a curious look, she laughed. "Just a little bit. Poor Peyton. They split her up from Billie just to end up putting her with _Lacey_."

"Depending on when you go back," Seth quipped, "that could turn into poor _you_." A tiny squawk came over the baby monitor and they both froze. When nothing else followed, Seth let out a long breath and laughed at himself. " _Babies make noise. Get used to it._ Yes, Mom." His mother had been giving them advice, but it was still hard to fight the urge to check on Roux every time she made a sound.

Becky braced herself on one elbow and kissed him softly. "My mom would have said the same thing."

Brushing some hair out of her face, Seth smiled. "She _will_ say the same thing. She'll get to visit soon. And so will your brother and your dad. . . ." There were no guarantees, of course, and the state of the world was far beyond their control, but he definitely hoped Becky's family would be able to meet Roux in person before she grew too much. Everyone already loved her, but there was something about holding a baby that just couldn't be matched.

"I hope so." Becky shut her eyes, but she knew sleep would be a long way off; the hustle and bustle of the day had made her miss her afternoon nap, but now she was revelling in the quiet and having her little family all to herself. "We shouldn't have to worry about late-night phone calls for a while," she murmured, digging her chin into Seth's chest. "Everyone will be too worried about waking her up."

"We can't tiptoe around her forever, though. She'll have to learn to sleep through some noise," Seth remarked, trying to adjust the pillows without dislodging Becky. Even though they had been at home all day, it felt like they had hardly had any time together. Another thing they would have to get used to.

Becky chuckled softly, taking pity on him and sitting up so she could fix the pillows for him. "You just want to be able to yell at football on Sundays again. Or Mondays. Or . . . Thursdays?" She shook her head in confusion. "How many football days are there?"

Seth brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed it. "She's got a Bears onesie. She can watch with me. I'll get her started early."

"Dear God, no. I can only handle one of you!" Becky pulled the blanket up and kissed him again, trying not to shiver. "Merry Christmas. This is my new favourite Christmas with you."

"My favourite's going to be next year," Seth replied with a sleepy grin. Now that Becky had mostly taken over the spot Roux had claimed on his chest, all his exhaustion was coming to the fore again. "When she can open her own presents. . . ."

"And yours." Becky yawned so widely she thought she felt her jaw pop. "God, I know I missed my nap in the afternoon, but I shouldn't be _this_ tired. What time is it?" She started to lift her head to look for a clock, but Seth's chest was too warm and inviting.

Seth peered at his phone in the charger. Between taking so many photos and fielding so many calls, he'd almost drained his battery in one day flat. "After eleven?" he guessed, poking the screen to activate it. "I think?"

"Yep, we definitely need to rig the clocks on New Year's Eve." Becky struggled to think of a time—at least one pre-pregnancy—when she was regularly asleep before midnight. "Or we could do a video chat with my family and celebrate with them since they're six hours ahead," she suggested. "Then we get family time _and_ fireworks. And Roux might even be awake."

"New Year's Eve is whatever we want it to be," Seth said firmly. Now that sleep was truly setting in, he wasn't sure how much longer he'd be able to keep his eyes open. "Just like Christmas. We get to make our own traditions now." He kissed the top of Becky's head and added, "And I'm glad I get to make them with you."

"You know what you don't get to make?" Becky let her goodnight kiss linger. "Irish twins."

"Well, technically—" Seth was cut off by another kiss before he could finish. He knew exactly what Becky meant and while he wouldn't be opposed to either—natural twins or children just born close together—he knew how much she missed being in the ring. Even when she had been able to visit SmackDown backstage, she had blossomed before his eyes. It wasn't that she had been unhappy at home, getting ready to give birth, but rather that she was missing two large parts of her life: her family back in Ireland and her wrestling family. This family, though—him and her and Roux—were right there, growing closer every day, and that was better than any gift either of them could have put under the tree.


End file.
